Never Stop Fighting
by justsmile17
Summary: Sequel to Free to Live, Free to Love! Believing Bellamy and her friends to be dead, Kat is drowning in a sea of pain and grief. On top of everything, if she wants to escape from Mt. Weather she's going to need to trust Clarke, who she's still pissed with. "I'll make it up to you," Clarke promised, her blue eyes determined. "I'll help you escape and prove Bellamy is still alive."
1. I'm In

**Author's Note: Hellooooo wonderful readers :) **** I'm so excited to post the first chapter of the sequel! For those of you reading this for the first time, I would strongly suggest reading Free to Live, Free to Love in order to understand what's going on! The timing and placement of Kat was a little tricky this season, but I think you guys will be happy with what I've come up with.**

**Special thanks to Dannylionthe1st for beta-ing!**

**Thank you all so much for your continued positive comments and support. Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you thought! I put aside a lot of homework and sleep in order to put this chapter up for you guys and reviews are my thanks and my motivation.**

* * *

Chapter 1: I'm In

**Clarke's POV**

Clarke slowly ran her fingers over the jewelry and fine clothes, almost not believing what she was seeing. She was actually seeing clothing from 97 years ago, what women used to wear before the world went to shit.

Her mind was reeling, trying to find something definitive and real to grasp hold of. She was in Mount Weather, the place that they were supposed to go to when the dropship first landed but had been unable to because it was near grounder territory. There were people here, people like her rather than people like the grounders. Strangely enough, it made her trust them even less.

Her eyes flickered over to the door where President Wallace was ushering everybody out of the room so she could change. He seemed genuine when he said that they were safe here, that they were looking for survivors and that she could see her friends. But the whole place gave her a weird feeling. Her gaze dropped to where Maya was lying on the bed at the other side of the room, hooked up to some machine that was filtering out her infected blood with new blood. Very strange.

Her fingers trailed along the trunk until she came to a pair of black shoes that had a long point on the end. Frowning slightly, she wondered who would ever wear contraptions like these – there was no way they could possibly be comfortable. A mental image of her trying to walk or run around their camp wearing these things popped into her head and she had to inwardly snort at how ridiculous it was. She could almost hear the sarcastic comment from Kat –

Clarke's heart sank in her stomach, her brief amusement fading as she thought about her friends, her people. Determination on her face, Clarke subtly broke off the point of the shoe and changed into a pair of pants, boots and a zip up jacket, something nondescript and comfortable. She slipped the point up her sleeve, hiding it from view. She didn't trust the people here and she would do whatever it took to make sure her people were safe.

Without looking at Maya again, Clarke strode across the room and pushed open the door. President Wallace was waiting outside for her, along with four very serious looking guards that were eyeing her carefully.

"Sorry about the noise!" President Wallace apologized loudly, gesturing above them. "Hydro electric power from the dam and water from our own, underground reservoir, and fresh food from our agricultural farm."

"I don't understand," Clarke said slowly, frowning as she looked up at him. "You're on the ground, you know it's survivable. Why would you stay here?"

"It's not survivable for us," he told her.

"The grounders manage."

"Natural selection works. The grounders who couldn't survive in the radiation didn't. Those that could passed on their DNA. For better or for worse, here we never went through that process."

"But neither did we," Clarke argued. "We've been on the ground now for…" Her voice trailed off as the answer suddenly hit her. "Solar radiation."

"Very good! Your DNA ran the same gauntlet as the grounders. Only because radiation levels in space is even higher, your ability to metabolize that radiation is even stronger," he said casually, as if he were discussing something simple and mundane. He paused in front of the elevator. "Truth be told, our scientists were blown away by the efficiency of your systems. If not for that, your friends would still be upstairs in quarantine." He smiled and gestured toward the elevator as the doors opened. Clarke hesitantly joined the two impassive guards, her eyes flickering around the elevator cautiously before she turned to face President Wallace again. Just as the doors were closing, he put out a hand to stop them. Gone was the pleasant old man and in its place was a strong, determined leader of his people. The glimpse into his eyes made Clarke's heart beat faster, her muscles tensing in anticipation. "First," he said slowly. "Give me the heel." Clarke clenched her teeth, disappointment flooding through her as she handed it over. "You're not fighting for your life, anymore Clarke. You've made it. Welcome to Mount Weather."

There was another smile on his face, but it felt wrong somehow and didn't make Clarke feel reassured in the slightest. She rode the elevator in silence, her hands clenching and unclenching as she watched the number slowly tick towards level five. Excitement rushed through her – she was finally going to see her people. Worry trickled through almost immediately. 47. Out of the 82 that they had saved before the battle, only 47 were left. Monty was safe, she knew that now, but who else had they captured? Kat? Jasper? Bellamy and Finn? Her heart beat harder at the thought.

The guards gestured as the elevator dinged and the door opened again. She took a right and the sound of a girl's voice floated towards her. "Your packet contains everything you need to know about Mount Weather, which, I promise, is not as confusing as it looks on page one."

Clarke looked around and noticed she was in the dining hall again, except this time the tables were empty. There was a crowd of people standing in the corner listening to a girl speak. "Clarke!" Monty cried in relief, a broad smile crossing his face as he pushed through the crowd and running up to give her a hug. Clarke smiled in return, hugging him tightly and closing her eyes as she let the relief and happiness wash over her. He was solid in her arms, she could feel his heart beating strong in his chest – he was safe. "You're okay," she whispered, pulling back and smiling up at him.

Almost immediately he was pushed to the side as a grinning and laughing Jasper took his place. "Hi!" Clarke laughed breathlessly, returning his hug. "I'm so glad to see you." Her eyes flickered around the other smiling faces of her people around her as she murmured a few hellos. She was happy to see them but she couldn't deny that she was looking for a few faces in particular.

"Bellamy and Finn?" She asked as Jasper pulled back. The mood of the group darkened, the smiles slipping off their faces.

"Clarke," Jasper murmured apologetically, his brown eyes sad. Clarke's happy bubble burst inside her, dread flickering through her because she knew what was coming next. "They uh…. They didn't make it."

She shook her head before he was finished speaking. "We don't know that," she said firmly, refusing to believe it, refusing to acknowledge the pain in her chest. "What about Raven and Octavia?" Both Jasper and Monty looked down, their faces grim. "Kat?" She asked, growing desperate.

Jasper looked slightly surprised. "You mean no one's told you?"

"What?" Clarke said quickly, wanting to shake the words out of him. "Told me what?"

"Kat… she's," Monty looked slightly uncomfortable. "She's in the psych ward."

"What?" Clarke gasped, flabbergasted. "Why?"

Jasper shrugged. "I'm not really sure. We've tried asking but all they will say is that it's safer for her at the moment." A worried look crossed his face as he shifted guiltily. "Did… did you see her face when she walked out of the dropship and realized Bellamy was dead? I mean, I didn't even know they were a thing. Kat was probably trying to escape so she could kill me for killing him – "

"Hey," Clarke interrupted sharply, waiting until he looked at her. "I made that call. I asked you for help. The death of those people is on me, not you. Do you understand?"

Jasper nodded, though he didn't look convinced. "I appreciate that Clarke," he said softly, looking more serious than Clarke had ever seen him. "But I'm the one that fixed the rockets and I'm the one that flipped the switch. I had a hand in the deaths of those people too."

"Welcome, Clarke," the girl from Mount Weather greeted, interrupting whatever Clarke was going to say. She handed her a binder with a smile. "If you have any questions my name is Keegan." Clarke gave her a distracted thanks, glancing down at the binder and flicking it open. The first page was a map of Mount Weather, which Clarke's eyes searched carefully and eagerly. The psych ward was on level six, a level below where they were right now.

For the moment, Clarke would play by their rules. She would ask to be able to visit Kat. But if they said no, then Clarke was going to have to break in on her own.

* * *

**Bellamy's POV**

Bellamy's throat tightened, his face hardening as he surveyed the aftermath of the battle. His eyes flickered from one body to another, his mind thinking in despair: _I should have saved her. I could have saved him. _

_Kat. Kat. Kat. Kat. Kat._

He glanced behind him to see Finn's grim face as well as the faces of Marcus Kane, Abby Griffin and several other guards. Part of him felt relief that they were here to help them, but the other part of him felt annoyance and frustration. They hadn't even been down here for five minutes and they already took over. They think they knew everything, that they were smarter because they were older but they weren't the ones who had been down here for a month. They had no idea what they were up against.

The group paused at the bottom of the hill that led up to the dropship. Bellamy strained his ears to hear anything – the sound of kids talking, the snap of the branches as they walked, even the sound of scared crying. But there was nothing and that sent a shiver of fear down his back. "It's too quiet," he muttered heavily.

_Kat. Kat. Kat. Kat. Kat._

Unable to take the wondering any longer, he made to move forward but Kane grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back down. "We'll take it from here," Kane said in an authoritative voice. "You two stay here with them," he instructed two of the guards. "We'll signal once we're sure it's safe."

Fists clenched, Bellamy watched them go with narrowed eyes. It should be him leading the way up there checking to see if his people were safe. Kane and the rest of the council had sent them down here to die – as far as Bellamy was concerned, that destroyed any loyalty they might have had.

There was silence for a long time and Bellamy was filled with such nervous energy that he started to pace up and down, throwing anxious glances up the hill every so often.

"We need a stretcher up here!" Both Bellamy and Finn rushed over only to be stopped by the two guards. Bellamy swallowed a growl of frustration. Who needed a stretcher? Was it Kat? Because if it was, he could deal with that. That would mean that she was alive, at least.

This was just torture. He needed to know. Now. He met Finn's gaze and knew they were thinking the same thing. He gave a subtle nod and they both turned on their heel, sprinting into one of the reaper tunnels that connect to camp.

They both froze when they exited the tunnel. Horror filled Bellamy as he looked around at what could only be described as a mass graveyard. Hundreds of burned skeletons surrounded the dropship where the rockets had gone off and it suddenly hit Bellamy that this could have been him. If they hadn't known what was coming or if they had stayed just a minute longer before fleeing from the dropship…. He would be dead right now.

His gaze quickly searched the surrounding area but there was nothing but burned skeletons and ashes. "Where is everyone?" He asked Finn, who only gave him a hopeless shake of his head.

Movement by the dropship caught his eye and he saw two figures moving down the ramp, one heavily leaning on the other for support. "It was awful…" the injured one panted. "There were hundreds of them. If it wasn't for Raven I don't know what would have happened." Bellamy was striding forward without even realizing it, a furious scowl on his face. "Bellamy," Murphy said with apprehension. "You're alive." Bellamy would have snorted at the disappointment in his voice if he weren't for the anger filling every fiber of his being. There was a loud buzzing in his ears and he could swear the edges of his vision were tinted red.

Bellamy tackled Murphy to the ground. "You murdering son of a bitch!" He roared, holding him down with his left hand as he pulled his right back to punch him in the face. "Where are they? Where's Kat? What happened to her?"

"I don't know – " Murphy choked out, cut off by Bellamy's fist. Fear, pain, anxiety and denial spurred him on, and he lost count of how many times he hit Murphy.

_Kat. Kat. Kat. Kat. Kat._

Pain exploded up his side, the voltages of electricity from the guard's baton spreading throughout the rest of his body, making him fall off Murphy onto his back, his limps twitching as he gasped for breath. Bellamy stared up at the sky, unable to move as the despair spread through him.

She wasn't here. The bubble of hope within him faded, the tension leaving his muscles. Where was she?

Kane's disappointed face appeared above him. "Place him under arrest," he ordered. Two guards stepped forward, grabbing each of Bellamy's arms and hauling him to his feet.

"Wait," Finn tried to explain. "You don't understand. Murphy murdered two of our people, he shot another one and he tried to hang Bellamy!"

"I don't care," Kane said in a hard voice. "You are _not_ animals. There are rules!" He turned to glare at Bellamy as the guards put cuffs on him. "Laws! You are not in charge here anymore."

* * *

Sometime later Bellamy found himself sitting on a log, staring blankly at the activity moving around him. His hands were bound tightly behind him but he didn't notice the discomfort. Raven was unconscious on the stretcher, Finn hovering over her. He envied him in a way. Even though Raven was seriously injured, at least Finn knew that she was alive. Although Bellamy had to acknowledge the fact that Finn was infinitely more worried about Clarke.

His gaze traveled over to Abby, who was writing a message into a part of the metal wall. Dozens of his people were missing. Not dead because there were no bodies. They were missing. Where did they go?

Finn was suddenly crouched in front of him. "We're leaving."

"What?" Bellamy asked, confused. He shook his head. "No. This is where they'll come back – "

"I don't think they're coming back," Finn said softly. "The grounders took them and you know it."

"We can't just do nothing - !"

"Hey, I want to find them just as badly as you do!" Finn snapped. "We're in the same boat here, Bellamy. I know you're worried about Kat, though I'm still not sure how that happened," he muttered under his breath. "Look. We go with Kane to Alpha station. We get reinforcements. Weapons. Then we find our friends."

"One question," Bellamy said heavily, looking at Finn with tortured eyes. "How many of us will be dead by then?"

Finn swallowed harshly, glancing over his shoulder at Raven. "Abby said Raven needs surgery or she's going to die. We can't save our friends right now, but we can save her. It's time to go." Bellamy nodded slowly, though it went against every fiber of his being. Without Raven, they would have died a dozen times over. She was brilliant and resourceful, but more importantly she was a friend. She was one of them and she deserved to live.

Two guards came over to pull him to his feet as the rest of the group got ready to move out. He looked around at the dropship one more time, his face setting with determination. _I don't know where you are, Kat,_ he thought fiercely. _But I will search the ends of the earth for you. I will find you,_ he promised.

_I will find you._

* * *

**Clarke's POV**

"I need to speak with President Wallace," Clarke told the guard standing outside in the hallway. The guard made no indication that he heard or even saw her standing there in front of him. "Hello?" She called, waving her hand energetically in his face. "Did you hear me? I said, I need to see President Wallace." Still no answer. "Are you deaf?" She asked, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "If you don't answer me – "

"Clarke." She spun around to see President Wallace standing behind her, his head tilted to the side in amusement. "Is there any particular reason why you are terrorizing my guard?"

"I needed to speak with you. I want to know why Kat is locked up in the psych ward," Clarke said in a hard, no-nonsense voice, crossing her arms. Her blue eyes watched him carefully, searching for any signs of deflection or lying. "And I want to see her."

"Of course," President Wallace said easily, a smile on his face. Clarke blinked in surprise though she schooled her face before he noticed. "She's one of your people, I can imagine how worried you must be about her. If you'll follow me I'll take you to her." Clarke nodded, trailing after him as he headed towards the elevators. "Katerina, or Kat, as you call her, seems like an interesting person," President Wallace said conversationally, turning to look over his shoulder at her. "I talked to a few of your people about her. They don't seem to have been very close to her or know her very well, but they all have a very high level of respect for her."

Clarke felt President Wallace glance at her expectantly and knew he was waiting for her to say something. But she wasn't about to explain the complexity of Kat Hale with a man she didn't know or trust. "Yeah," Clarke shortly. "She's a pretty private person."

"I've tried to speak with her on multiple occasions, but she never says anything. If you hadn't asked me to speak with her, I was going to ask you to. I think she's confused and frightened, and I'm hoping that seeing a familiar face will help her."

Clarke frowned down at the floor as the elevator moved to floor six. Kat… confused and frightened? That didn't sound like her. Angry and sarcastic, maybe. Her last words floated through Clarke's head. _I don't know if I can ever forgive you for this._ Clarke inwardly winced as she remembered the blank, lost expression on Kat's face, her empty grey eyes staring through her.

"Why is she in the psych ward?" Clarke asked, looking up at Wallace as he stepped out of the elevator and lead her down the hallway.

President Wallace sighed. "Kat spent the first few hours after she woke up screaming. When she finally lost her voice she sat in the corner of her room and didn't move for a full 24 hours. When it was her turn to be quarantined two of our medics went in to get her. She attacked them. Broke the arm of one and knocked the other unconscious. It took four of our guards to subdue and sedate her. If Kat wasn't sedated, she became outwardly aggressive. After the second time and more injuries, we had to knock her out in order to get her quarantined. It turns out she's a very talented fighter so we decided it would be best for both her safety and the safety of my people if she were moved to this floor. Here we are, this is her room."

Clarke stepped forward to peek through the small window in the door. The breath whooshed out of her as she saw Kat. She felt like she had been punched in the stomach. "Why is she still being restrained?" She asked, horrified, sending a glare at him. "She's locked in a room alone, do you think she's a danger to herself?"

"No, it's just a precaution for my people when she's not sedated – "

"Well take them off," Clarke snapped, eyes narrowing. "I don't want them on her when I'm not talking to her, she's not going to hurt me – "

"Clarke – "

"I said _take them off._"

President Wallace contemplated her for a long moment before nodding to one of the guards who left to get the keys. "I'll have the guards wait out here for you when you're finished. They'll take you straight to lunch. Good luck, Clarke," he said with one last smile before leaving, nodding to the guard as he came back with the keys.

The guard opened the door for her, stepping into the room and walking over to Kat's bed, undoing the restraints on her wrists and ankles. Clarke used his distraction to her advantage, quickly scanning the room. She saw a toilet in the corner, which she assumed they let her up to use every once in a while. Other than the bed and toilet, the only other thing in the room was the camera on the wall, watching and listening to everything that was going on. Clarke would bet everything she owned that this is where President Wallace had gone.

The guard finished undoing the restraints and left the room, closing the door behind him. The silence in the room was almost deafening. Clarke carefully approached the bed, her eyes slowly looking Kat up and down, unbelievably shocked at what she saw. Kat hadn't moved since the guard had released her. Her eyes were empty and trained on the ceiling, blinking every so often. Her face was pale and unhealthy looking, her black hair tangled and greasy. Clarke had seen Kat strong. She had seen Kat fighting. Fierce. Determined.

She had never seen Kat look so weak and helpless. It was wrong, somehow. Like it was going against nature.

"Kat?" Clarke called softly, moving down to sit beside her on the bed, making sure the camera was behind her. "Kat it's me, Clarke." When she didn't get a response, she continued. "You're safe, for now. We're in Mount Weather. It turns out that people have been surviving here for 97 years, so a couple of people must have made it inside before the bombs went off." She waited, but there was still nothing. "They found 48 of us all together. I saw Jasper, Monty, Miller, Harper, Fox and all them earlier, they seem okay." She felt a flicker of annoyance run through her as Kat's expression remained blank and indifferent. "Look at me, Kat! Look at me!" She snapped, grabbing Kat's face and turning it to face her. Kat's empty eyes finally looked at her. "What is going on with you? I know how you're feeling – "

Life flickered into Kat's eyes. "No."

"What?" Clarke asked, frowning.

Clarke's frown deepened at the raw pain and grief that she saw reflecting back towards her. "You have no idea what I'm feeling," Kat croaked, her voice still raspy.

"Then tell me," Clarke said earnestly. "I want to be here for you – "

"Bellamy's dead. I'm never going to see him again and it's all your fault. If you had let me help them – "

"Then you might have died," Clarke interrupted, narrowing her eyes. "There was nothing I could do to help Finn and Bellamy but I could help you."

"I didn't ask – "

"I know that!" Clarke snapped, unconsciously raising her voice. "Just like I didn't ask to become a leader. I made a choice. A terrible choice that killed a lot of people. But you were not the only one who had someone they cared about out there. It was either us or them, Kat, and I did what I had to do to protect my people. I thought you of all people would understand – "

"Normally I would!" Kat interrupted, blinking and looking away. "But…"

"But it was Bellamy out there," Clarke finished softly, nodding.

Kat sat up, looking agitated, her eyes narrowed angrily. "Why is it that _you_ are the cause of two of the worst moments in my life?" She spat furiously. "You are the one that opened your fat mouth about my father and you are the one that ki – killed Bellamy. When are you going to learn to mind your own fucking business?"

"You're angry at me?" Clarke asked, a flicker of hurt spreading across her face before it turned hard. "Good. Get angry. Do something other than just lie here! We need you out there, Kat – " Clarke broke off in confusion, watching Kat's face carefully. Kat was looking at a point over Clarke's shoulder, her eyes wide with fear, bewilderment, terror and longing. "Kat?" Clarke asked curiously, glancing over her shoulder to see nothing but empty space. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Kat's arms wound around her stomach and for a moment before her expression shuttered, Clarke thought it looked like she was trying to hold herself together. Clarke's heart broke for her. "It just hurts," Kat whispered, her eyes slowly moving back towards Clarke. "Every time the thought that he's dead flashes through my mind, it hurts."

"No," Clarke snapped, disagreeing. "No, he's not dead – "

"Yes he is, Clarke!" Kat cried, interrupting her. "The sooner you accept it, the easier it will be. Bellamy, Octavia, Arian, Raven and yes, even Finn are all dead – "

"No!" Clarke shook her head, blue eyes flashing fiercely. "I refuse to believe that they're dead. They knew the plan, they knew what was coming! We never saw them die, Kat, they would have gotten out of there – "

"You don't know that – "

"And you can't tell me otherwise! I _refuse_ to let you give up. You're a fighter, Kat, a survivor. You survived the death of your mom. You survived your abusive father and when it came down to him and you, you won. You survived being locked up, you survived the fall in the dropship and you survived all the shit we've been through down on the ground. You're a fighter, Kat." Clarke was breathing heavily, glaring at Kat. Making a split second decision she put on a fake smile and said in a normal voice, "I'm just really, really glad to see that you're okay." She put her arms out expectantly, giving Kat a significant look.

Kat looked at her as if she were the one who was locked up in the psych ward. "What are you doing? You know I don't do hugs, Blondie – "

"Give me a hug, Kat," Clarke hissed angrily under her breath. "Now." Clarke pulled a grumbling Kat into a hug. She waited until Kat reluctantly returned it before putting her mouth next to her ear, barely whispering, "They're watching and listening to everything we say and do." She felt Kat tense against her but Clarke hurriedly continued before she could speak. "I don't trust these people. They're alive Kat, Bellamy and Finn are alive and they're looking for us. So you have a choice to make. You can either rot down here in the psych ward or you can help me, help our people. Because with or without your help I'm getting out of here. The Kat I know would never stop fighting no matter how bad things get. So make your choice. Let me know what you decide."

* * *

**Kat's POV**

The pain ebbed and flowed through her, going away when her mind was foggy and returning with a sharp stab when it began to clear. She almost wished for another dose of the sedation just so she wouldn't have to think, wouldn't have to _feel_ any of this. He haunted her dreams and her every waking thoughts. Sometimes Octavia and Arian would make an appearance, but he was the central figure. Even now she could feel the dark presence in the corner of the room. The hair stood up on the back of her neck. She looked over from where she was sitting with her back against the wall and her breath caught in her throat.

Bellamy was standing in the room with her.

He had first appeared after she had awoken from the first sedation and for a moment she thought he was real. Her heart leaped and a smile had begun to cross her face. Then she remembered what had happened and the fact that he was dead and she knew he wasn't real.

At first she wondered if he was a ghost. But deep down, she knew the truth without having to think about it too hard. This was her punishment. Her punishment for allowing herself to believe that she was happy, punishment for opening her heart to him when it had been closed for so long.

Her punishment for leaving him to die when she should have been fighting alongside him.

She found herself drinking in his image eagerly – the messy brown hair that he usually ran a hand through when he was agitated. The intense brown eyes that usually showed whatever emotion he was feeling - anger, fear, amusement…love. Now they were looking at her with a combination of sadness and accusation. His broad shoulders and strong arms that she wished would wrap around her as he reassured her that everything was going to be okay.

_I'm sorry_, she thought miserably, her arms wrapping around her stomach again. _I miss you._

"What are you doing here, Kat?" Bellamy asked, looking around the room in mystification. "Didn't you once tell me that you hated to be locked up? That you'd rather be free to do whatever you wanted?"

Her eyes fluttered closed at the sound of his voice. Torture. This was absolute torture. But would she rather forget about him or have some reminder of him so she didn't lose him completely? Apparently she was a glutton for punishment.

When her eyes opened again, she quickly looked up at the camera before looking back down.

Ever since Clarke's visit, it was like a fog had been lifted from her brain. Maybe it was the sedation finally wearing off or maybe Clarke had just yelled some sense into her. Either way, Bellamy was right. She was willingly sitting in this tiny cell, something she promised herself would never happen again.

She casually turned on the bed, facing away from the camera and from Bellamy, her brow furrowed as she thought. She sat there for hours, until her back ached and her muscles cramped. She thought about anything and everything, all her decisions that lead her to this point and all the options she had going forward.

The way she saw it, she had three options. The first one, like Clarke said was that she could give up. She could stay in this small cell forever, essentially. Option two was to comply with these people's wishes and fit in with their community, but to Kat, this was just like giving up as well. So that left her with option three. To pretend that she was compliant in order to get out of this cell. To pretend to fit in with their community. And then escape with Clarke and never look back.

"You're wasting time," Bellamy's voice drifted over her. "You already made your decision." His voice turned smug. "My girl never stops fighting."

She shook her head, trying to clear his voice and concentrate. _Bellamy's dead._ The words sent a sharp lance of pain through Kat's chest, making her wince. Part of her hated him for making her open her heart up to him, for making her love him. He was dead and she didn't know if this pain was worth it.

"Damn you, Bellamy Blake," she muttered, rubbing her chest and hating that it felt like someone was sitting on it. She missed him so much it hurt. Half of her wanted to rant and rage at the unfairness of it all and the other half wanted to never get out of bed. It was extremely confusing.

So in the end, she decided to side with Clarke. At least being back out there on the ground was something familiar. Something she knew how to handle.

Decision made, she got up from the bed, wobbling slightly from the after effects of the sedation, she went over to the door and pounded on the window. She looked outside but didn't see anyone there so she backed up a couple steps, looking directly up into the camera and waving her arms. "Hey!" She called loudly. "Creepy guy watching me sleep and eat! I'm ready to talk to Wallace. Did you hear me? I'm ready to get out of here. I promise I won't beat anybody else up."

He was there ten minutes later. Kat had to struggle not to roll her eyes when he made a big show of waving the guards away, going on about how Kat wouldn't hurt him. _Stupid old man. I can think of at least five different ways to kill you right now._

"Be nice," Bellamy reprimanded gently. "You need to get out of here, remember?"

_I don't know how,_ Kat thought bitterly.

"Act like anyone else but yourself," Bellamy snickered, amused.

_Ass._

"My name is President Wallace," the old man greeted. "Do you remember me, Katerina?" He asked gently.

A vague memory of Wallace's blurry face above her appeared in her mind. "Vaguely," she said, frowning. "And call me Kat… please," she added as an afterthought.

"Kat," he agreed, nodding his head toward her. The fuzzy memory would be from the sedation. I'm sorry about that, but I hope you can understand." Kat nodded and a wide smile crossed his face. "So I hear you're finally ready to talk," Wallace said, walking over to her with his hands behind her back.

"Yes," Kat said, forcing a pleasant look on her face. The guy didn't know her, he couldn't tell how out of character this was. "First, I just want to apologize for going a little crazy. Is… is everybody okay? I didn't hurt anyone too bad, did I?"

"Just a few bumps and bruises," Wallace smiled reassuringly. "Nothing permanent."

Kat still felt a twinge of guilt. They were innocent people trying to do their job and she had caused them harm. "Still, it shouldn't have happened and for that I apologize. I lost a couple friends during the battle and it hit me kind of hard. Plus, I had a bad experience with being locked away, and when I woke up and saw that I was right back where I started…." She trailed off, shaking her head.

"I understand," Wallace said softly. "One of your people told me that the Ark was very strict. I want you to know, Katerina, that here you don't have to live in fear of doing something wrong. You don't have to fear the savages – " Kat's jaw clenched at the word. " – attacking you or your people. You're safe here." Wallace paused, his dark blue eyes piercing as he looked at her. His piercing blue eyes seemed to see inside her soul. "You lost someone, didn't you?" He asked gently, tilting his head to the side. "Someone you cared about very much."

Kat's nostrils flared in annoyance. Since when was this any of his fucking business? "Yes," Kat answered shortly.

"I know the signs," he told her as if she had asked how he had known. "I myself lost my wife a few years back. Insomnia, lack of an appetite, depression… I've been through it all. I'd like to tell you that it gets easier, but the pain never really goes away."

Kat nodded, not wanting or needing to hear about his love life, and quickly changed the subject. "Did you find any survivors from the Ark? We saw it fall from the sky during the battle – "

His expression grew somber and regretful. "I'm afraid that my patrols came back with bad news today. They found no survivors from your camp or from the Ark."

Kat knew there were no survivors at the camp, but the news about the Ark was still a blow. She frowned, thinking back to what she saw. "Are they sure? I saw it split apart into different pieces before it hit the ground. You can't tell me that thousands of people died and that there were no survivors! The Ark didn't just randomly fall from the sky, there was still time left! So this must have been planned – "

"I'm sorry," President Wallace said, raising his voice over her. "I've ordered my patrols to keep searching but I wouldn't get your hopes up."

Kat tried a different tactic. "Well let me help them! I know the territory better than they do. Plus I'd be much more use out there than in here and this way I won't hurt any more of your people – "

"Are you threatening my people?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course not! I'm just saying I would rather be out looking for the Ark survivors – "

"How old are you?"

"What?" Kat asked, bewildered. "I'm 18, why – "

"18 years old," he repeated. "It's not safe for you out there. Why don't we leave the dangerous, more difficult tasks to the adults – "

"I am not a child," she said furiously. "I haven't been a child since I was five years old – "

His expression cleared as he nodded. "The scars on your back," he guessed, making Kat snap her mouth shut. "We saw multiple scars on your body while putting you through quarantine. Was it your mother or your father?"

Kat was practically vibrating with rage and frustration. "That's – " She began furiously, but thankfully she was cut off.

A loud alarm sounded throughout the room, a yellow light flashing in the hallway. "Alert," a robotic female voice calmly said. "Code Five."

President Wallace's face drew down into a frown as he unconsciously slipped back into leader mode. "Code five?" Kat repeated loudly over the beeping, jumping up from the bed and looking at the President with narrowed eyes. "What's Code five? What's going on?"

"You should stay here until someone escorts you to dinner, Kat," he instructed, before he turned towards the door. "I have other matters to attend to."

"Wait, tell me what's going on first – "

The door slammed behind him and Kat nearly screamed in frustration. Now that she was fully aware again, she wanted nothing more to get out of this cell, even though she was seeing Bellamy's ghost or something, which probably meant she was exactly where she was supposed to be. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as the alarms continued, and she felt somewhat alive for the first time in days.

Her mind raced, wondering what was going on. Were the grounders attacking Mount Weather? Was there someone in the building who wasn't supposed to be? Was there a criminal that they were trying to find? Maybe one that had escaped from this place's version of a Sky Box?

"Relax, Kat," Bellamy drawled, rolling his eyes from where he was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. "All this pacing is making me dizzy."

"You're not real," Kat muttered, shaking her head and feeling immensely grateful that the camera's couldn't hear her over the noise of the alarm. "I'm not crazy."

"I believe that everyone's crazy in their own way," Bellamy said lightly, a smirk on his face.

"No one asked you," she snapped, throwing him an angry glare.

"There's no need to be – "

"Go away!" She yelled, spinning in his direction, her grey eyes flashing as her nerves finally broke. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get a hold of herself and slowly counted to ten. When she opened her eyes again, he was gone.

Relief and longing swept through her, erasing the adrenaline and leaving a bone deep exhaustion in it's wake. She swayed slightly before stumbling to sit down on the bed, her elbows on her knees and her head hanging down. She stayed in that position, breathing deeply in and out until eventually the alarm stopped.

It wasn't until a half hour after that her door finally opened again. A young girl was standing on the opposite side, wearing a white dress and a nervous smile. "Hi!" She greeted, quickly looking Kat up and down before focusing on her face determinedly. "My name is Keegan and President Wallace asked me to show you around and then take you to see your friends."

"Great," Kat said in relief, springing to her feet and hurrying out the door before they could change their minds and lock her up for good. "Let's go."

Keegan chattered nervously as they walked, the anxiety practically rolling off her in waves. Amusement flashed through Kat – just what had they told this poor girl about her? Kat tuned her out easily as she talked on and on, her eyes sweeping the corridors and noting possible exits. There were a lot of warning signs about radiation, but Kat didn't bring them up. She did, however, listen with interest each time the guards passed growing more and more pissed.

"Yeah, the blonde one – "

" – heard she tried to escape, the crazy bitch – "

"She's talking to President Wallace now – "

Kat's fists clenched. Clarke had tried to escape without her. She had given this big, rousing, inspirational speech and then was just going to let her sit there and rot while she escaped to the outside. She shoved her annoyance down, not wanting to frighten Keegan with the look on her face.

Keegan took her to shower, which a little glimpse of heaven. Kat stood under the hot water with her eyes closed and didn't move for a full ten minutes, just letting the water wash off a month's worth of dirt and grime.

After she dried off, Keegan gave her a few outfit choices and Kat chose a gray shirt, a black zip up jacket and black pants and boots. Keegan then gave her a short tour, pointing out where the bathrooms and the dining hall was before heading towards the dorms.

"The dorms your friends are all staying in at the end of this hallway is on level five," Keegan was saying as the elevator doors dinged open.

"I think I an manage from here," Kat told her, stepping out of the elevator and turning around to give her a wide smile. "Thank you so much for all your help."

"Oh – are you sure?" Keegan asked, flustered. "It's no trouble – "

"I've got it, thanks!" Kat waved as the doors closed. "See you later!"

Keegan's confused face was forgotten as soon as Kat turned away from the elevator. She had just spotted Clarke walking ahead of her and didn't want any witnesses to this conversation. After checking to see where the cameras were, Kat hurried up and grabbed Clarke's arm, pulling her to an isolated spot in the hallway.

"Get the hell off of – Kat?" Clarke asked with wide eyes, pulling her arm away.

A smile had begun to spread across Clarke's face, but Kat stepped forward, pushing Clarke against the wall and holding her forearm to her throat. "What are you playing at, Blondie?" She hissed angrily, checking over her shoulder to make sure no one was around. "Were you just going to leave me in the psych ward while your escaped from this place – "

Clarke's eyes narrowed in response. "Hey, I told you I was leaving whether you were going to help me or not – "

"So shouldn't you have waited until I had given you my answer?" Kat snapped. "I was in the middle of trying to be nice to President Wallace so I could get out of that hellhole – "

"Wait," Clarke interrupted, her lips twitching as a smile attempted to cross her face, even in the position Kat was holding her in. "You were being nice? How did that go?" She asked curiously.

Kat's anger faded as she rolled her eyes, dropping her arm and stepping back slightly. "Well enough. I'm out, aren't I? By the way, Wallace isn't going to let us leave. He says it's too dangerous out there."

"I know," Clarke sighed. "He said the same thing to me."

"So why are you still here? How come you didn't make it out?"

"I almost made it. But I would have opened the door to the outside and killed everyone within this building besides us." At Kat's confused expression she went on. "The people here are allergic to the radiation. They can die within minutes if exposed."

Kat whistled softly. "Damn. So they've all been stuck in here for 97 years?" Clarke nodded. "Well I definitely don't want that to happen to us."

"Agreed," Clarke said, a determined look crossing her face. "Which means it's up to us to get out of here."

"Just because I'm in doesn't mean we're friends again, Blondie," Kat warned, pointing a finger in her face. "I'm still really, really pissed at you."

"I'll make it up to you," Clarke promised, her blue eyes unflinching in her belief. "I'll make it up to you by helping you escape and proving that Bellamy is still alive."

"Whatever you say," Kat said dismissively, not believing a word of it.

Clarke watched her sadly for a moment before shaking herself out of it. "Come on," she said, leading the way down the hall. "There are some people who would like to see you."

Kat followed her, shoving her hands in her pockets as she walked. Clarke lead her to a large room and then stepped aside so Kat could enter. Kat got a brief glimpse of dozens of bunk beds with red sheets and dozens of faces turning in her direction before she was swallowed by a mob of people. Jasper and Monty were there, hugging her and telling her they were so glad she was alright. Fox and Harper, grinning widely, joined in the group hug as did other people that Kat hadn't even bothered to learn their names. Some of them looked slightly nervous that they would get punched for touching her, but Kat was too overwhelmed to do much of anything. She had hardly interacted with any of these people and they were all so happy to see that she was okay.

She looked over a Clarke with wide, bewildered eyes and saw that Clarke was laughing quietly to herself, amused at Kat's reaction though Kat thought she saw a sheen of tears in her eyes.

"Kat," someone interrupted before she could be sure.

Kat turned to see a familiar figure standing off to the side, his caring brown eyes watching her with a small smile on his face. "Miller," she breathed, her own, genuine smile spreading across her face. She stumbled in his direction on shaky legs but he caught her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a tight hug. Her eyes closed as she returned the hug, grateful that he was still alive and grateful that he didn't seem to be mad at her anymore. She pulled back slightly, searching his face carefully. "You're alright?" She asked in concern. "Nobody's hurt you or anyone else – "

"No," Miller interrupted with an easy grin. "It's great here, Kat. No more worrying about getting attacked by grounders, no more worrying about our tents leaking while we sleep. We have plenty of clothes and food and the people here aren't so bad."

Kat frowned. "And you feel…. Safe?" She asked doubtfully.

He nodded. "We all do. Look around you, Kat. Have you ever seen them so relaxed? So happy?"

It was true. The group had moved further back into the room and was no chatting and laughing happily. There was music playing from a radio in the corner and a few of the guys were playing catch with something that Kat couldn't identify. She thought about what Miller had said – food, clothing, shelter with no strings attached… it sounded great. Perfect even. But in Kat's life, nothing was perfect. It all sounded too good to be true.

The only one who didn't fit in with the group was Clarke. She was standing off to the side, watching what was going on. There was a small smile on her face as she watched them having fun, but her posture was stiff and her eyes were worried. She didn't trust the Mountain Men and Kat didn't trust President Wallace.

She looked back up at Miller, watching him carefully. "President Wallace said that they found no survivors from the Ark."

Pain flitted across Miller's face as he momentarily froze. "None?" He asked in a forced, casual voice.

"No one."

"That's… that's awful," he said, shaking his head. "All those people…"

"You believe him?"

"You don't?" Miller asked, looking down at her in surprise.

Kat just shrugged. _No… no I don't._ She met Clarke's eye from across the room and a moment of shared understanding passed between them. President Wallace and the rest of the Mountain Men had convinced their people that they were safe. Both Kat and Clarke had the same gut feeling that they were wrong. So now it was up to them to find out the truth.

The hairs on the back of Kat's neck stood up, and she looked over to see that Bellamy was back, standing unseen next to the nearest group of bunk beds. She accepted the pain his image caused her, promising herself to use it to make sure their people were okay.

They had lost too many people already. Kat swore to herself that she would take Bellamy's place, that she would step up and help Clarke lead. _Don't worry_, she promised him, meeting his warm brown eyes. _Clarke and I are getting out of here and from they're we'll figure out how to make sure our people are safe. It's what you would do. I won't let you down._

* * *

**Author's Note: Whew! There it is. I still can't believe it! Keep the suggestions for season 2 coming, I love to read what you guys come up with!**

**Also the summary – do you guys like it? It may be temporary. I'm not pleased with how it came out, but until I can think of a better one that's what I came up with!**

**Anyways – review, review, review! Thank you all so much!**


	2. One Step Closer

**Author's Note: YOU GUYS. Thank you SO much for the amazing response to the first chapter of this story. It made me incredibly excited to continue writing and I really hope you guys like this chapter just as much! Sorry it's a little late – but my grad school semester from hell is finally over so I'll have more time to write!**

**Be sure to leave me a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter! It means the world to me.**

* * *

Chapter 2: One Step Closer

**Miller's POV**

Miller jerked awake in his sleep, blinking through the darkness in confusion. He sat up, frowning as he looked through the multitude of bunk beds around the room to see what had woken him up. He waited, listening, and when nothing seemed out of order, he lay back down.

He rolled over in frustration, punching his pillow and trying to settle into a more comfortable position. After tossing and turning for a couple of minutes, Miller eventually gave up with a huff, rolling onto his back and staring up at the bunk above him. His mind drifted as he lay there. He wondered if they were going to have any more of those pancakes in the morning. The first time he had them, he thought he had died and gone to heaven. Combined with syrup, they were nearly as good as the chocolate cake Jasper and Monty are so obsessed with.

A soft noise of pain and terror startled Miller from his thoughts. He sat up again, looking around wildly, his heart pounding in reaction. His eyes flickered around the bunks, taking in the faces of the other sleeping teens. He heard it again and this time he knew exactly where it was coming from.

_Kat._

Annoyance and a lingering resentment spread though him. When it came to Kat, this has been his first reaction to her ever since he found out she was sleeping with Bellamy. He had really thought that there was the beginning of something between them when they had first gotten down on the ground, so to find out that she was having sex with Bellamy of all people – it was a painful blow.

His mind quickly flashed back to yesterday when he saw Kat for the first time after the battle. Her basic outward appearance was the same – pale skin, gray eyes, black hair – but there was something off about her. When he looked into her eyes, a lost, defeated expression stared back out at him. Kat had always had a spark of life in her even after all the shit she's been through… and now that spark was destroyed. Snuffed out.

And that's when it really, finally sunk in that he had lost his chance. Bellamy had gotten the girl and Miller couldn't hate him for that, not when he was the reason that so many of them survived. He had been a great leader and friend, but now he was gone. He was dead and Kat was in pain – that just wasn't something that he could ignore.

She made another distressed noise and Miller climbed out of his bed without even thinking about it. He padded quietly over to Kat, who unfortunately got stuck with the top bunk. A quick glance up at Kat's tightly shut eyes and clenched jaw made it obvious that she was stuck in a nightmare. He quickly climbed up, crawling along the side of the bed to reach her.

"No," Kat whimpered softly, tossing her head from side to side. "Please no. Please don't leave me."

"Kat," Miller whispered, grabbing her shoulders, hating the weak and vulnerable voice she was using, especially when it was usually filled with sarcasm and attitude. "Kat, wake up. Kat!" He shook her gently and her eyes flew open wildly, her right hand shooting out to grab him by the neck.

He resisted the urge to push her away and ignored his hammering heart. "Look at me, Kat," he murmured soothingly, watching at her eyes refocused on him. "It's me, Miller."

"Miller," she repeated, and he tried not to be offended by the devastating disappointment in her voice. She let go of his throat and pushed her sweaty hair away from her face with a shaking hand. In fact, Miller noticed with concern that her entire body was trembling. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean – "

"It's fine, Kat. Are you okay?" He asked, frowning as he watched her carefully.

Her eyes were wide, but she wasn't looking at him. "I can't…. I haven't been able to sleep since – since – " Miller nodded in understanding and she continued. "If I do fall asleep, the nightmares…." She trailed off again, shaking her head and swallowing harshly. Without a word, Miller carefully gathered her in his arms. Kat stiffened immediately, struggling slightly. "What are you doing?" She asked in confusion. "Miller – "

"You're shaking and you're exhausted, Kat," Miller told her in a no-nonsense tone. "There's not much help or comfort that I can offer you, but it's okay to accept help sometimes. Let me help you."

She didn't respond, but eventually her body gradually relaxed. He didn't know how long it took, but he lay there with her, rubbing soothing circles on her back until her trembling slowed and her breathing evened out. "You're going to be okay," he promised quietly, even though he knew she was asleep. There was no way he was going to watch her go through this alone. "I promise."

* * *

**Kat's POV**

The next morning, Kat was leaning with her back against the wall of her top bunk, her arms wrapped around her knees as she watched the carefree teenagers around her talking and laughing as they got ready for breakfast. Her eyes fell on Miller, who was relaxing in his own bed, reading a book. When she woke up this morning he was gone, but she remembered what happened.

She had been having a nightmare, the same one that she had every time that she closed her eyes and attempted to fall asleep. Bellamy was standing across a clearing and when she first sees him, looking healthy but confused, the joy and overwhelming relief that she felt took her breath away and nearly sent her to her knees.

She calls his name and he turns to face her, a wide smile beginning to cross his lips. He starts in her direction at once and is about halfway there when he suddenly hunches over in pain, blood pouring from the cuts that suddenly appeared on his face. Panic sets in as his pain-filled eyes find her, her name on his lips.

Kat breaks into a sprint, shouting his name as Bellamy's clothes start to smoke. He looks down in confusion and all of a sudden he's engulfed in flames. Kat finally reaches him only to be stopped by an invisible wall. She bangs on the wall, trying to find a way through, shouting his name. Bellamy collapses to his knees and Kat does as well, tears of fury and frustration pouring down her face as the sound of his screaming echoes in her ears.

He's dying and there's nothing that she can do to save him.

She appreciated Miller's help last night, but now she had no idea how to act around him. She wasn't used to people seeing her at her weakest and it made her extremely uncomfortable. Biting back a sigh, Kat passed a weary hand over her face. Even though she had gotten a couple hours sleep, her eyes burned and felt gritty, and the exhaustion she felt seemed worse somehow.

It was a feeling of hopelessness that ate away at her very soul. It made her want to crawl into bed and stare into nothingness for hours – but Clarke was right. She was a fighter.

And right now, the biggest fight was against herself.

A loud, two-tone alarm suddenly rang through the room, startling it's occupants into a silence as they looked around warily. Kat moved quickly, jumping down from the bunk and heading over to the one person who knew what was going on around here. Her brain raced and she acted on a sudden impulse.

As she landed, she pretended to stumble, accidently knocking into Maya as she made to hurry out of the room. "Oh shit, sorry!" She apologized, steadying the other girl and backing away. Maya gave her a weird look but said nothing.

Clarke must have had the same idea, because she converged on Maya at the same time. "What's going on?" Clarke asked breathlessly. Her blue eyes were alight with anticipation and Kat was taken aback by how single-minded she was about getting out of here.

"That signal means the surface patrol is back and needs medical attention." She glanced over her shoulder at Jasper and gave him an apologetic grimace. "I'm sorry, I have to go to quarantine."

Kat and Clarke shared a significant look. "Go," Kat said softly as Jasper headed in their direction. "Find out what you can."

Clarke nodded and turned to leave but Jasper grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?" He asked apprehensively.

"Maybe they found survivors," Clarke told him. "If our people are hurt we have a right to know."

"I'm pretty sure we shouldn't just go wand – " Kat lips twitched as Jasper realized he was talking to thin air. He sent her an exasperated look before scrambling off after Clarke.

Although he didn't realize it, Jasper was echoing an idea that Kat already had. She casually glanced around the room to make sure no one was watching and slipped out the open doors.

As Kat walked, she pulled the keycard that she had swiped from Maya out of the sleeve of her jacket and slipped it into her pocket, allowing an empty grin to spread across her face. Hopefully for the next hour or so Maya would be too busy to realize that it was missing and Kat would be free to snoop around and find some proof that Mount Weather wasn't what it seemed.

So she wandered through the underground bunker, forcing herself to walk at a leisurely pace instead of running around and tearing this place apart like she wanted to. It wouldn't help to get herself locked up again.

Kat put on a pleasant smile and said a polite hello to people that she passed. She got plenty of strange and confused looks, but everyone of importance and power was concerned with the surface patrol and no one was paying attention to little old her. The only problem with this plan was that Kat didn't know her way around this place and she had no fucking clue what she was supposed to be looking for.

She held up Maya's card in front of the scanner and stepped inside, pausing in front of the elevator buttons, hesitating slightly. If she were a lying, manipulating president, where would she hide her secrets? Shrugging, Kat pressed the number seven and watched as the doors closed. Personally, she would hide hers in the deepest level, buried where nobody could find them.

When the elevator stopped and opened once more, Kat cautiously peeked her head out and looked down the hallway in both directions. It was completely deserted. She stepped out of the elevator, picked a direction and started walking. It was different down here and she idly wondered just how far under the ground she was.

There weren't many doors down here and it didn't take Kat long to find the one place she could find answers. There were two glass doors so Kat could easily see inside. There was a desk along with countless artifacts – she would bet anything that this was President Wallace's office. She stepped forward, her hand outstretched to open the door, then stopped, noticing something out of the corner of her eye.

Frowning, Kat withdrew her hand and slowly headed down to the end of the hallway. There was a door at the very end, a door that seemed different than the rest…almost out of place. It looked like the metal was a few inches thick, something that couldn't be broken down very easily. There was not only a keyhole but also a keypad and a bar across the door. Her frown deepened as her fingers traced it. It wasn't there to keep people out…. It was almost as if it was there to keep someone or something in. But that was crazy. Wasn't it?

"Are you lost, sweetheart?" Kat spun around to see a man standing casually against the wall with his arms crossed, watching her with a curious expression on his face.

Kat made a face. "Don't call me sweetheart," she said, moving away from the door. "Who are you?"

"Cage," he said, inclining his head with a strange smile playing around the corner of his mouth. His dark brown eyes never left hers and the hair on the back of Kat's neck stood up. She was beginning to feel more than a little creeped out by this guy and he's barely said five words. "My father's told me all about you already, Katerina. Everyone's heard the story about how you singlehandedly took out three of our own. You're famous around here."

"Believe or not, that's nothing new," Kat muttered distractedly, still focusing on the first part of his sentence. "Your father told you about me," She repeated slowly. "That means your father is…"

"President Wallace," Cage finished, still watched her closely. His eyes flickered to the door briefly. "How'd you get down to this level? Only a person with access on their keycard can come down here."

Kat didn't move for a second, thinking quickly before coming to the realization that there was nothing she could do to get out of this. She was busted. Bracing herself, she slipped Maya's key card out of her pocket and held it up. "I swiped this from some girl," she told him, not wanting to get Maya in trouble.

Instead of looking angry or disappointed, Cage's smile grew. He plucked the key card from her hand and pointed it at her. "Strong and resourceful. Just imagine what I could do with ten like you," he murmured, tilting his head to the side and considering her in a new light.

Kat narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms as she said in a hard voice, "What is that supposed to mean?"

He was silent for a long moment. "We should get you back upstairs," he said finally. "I'm sure your friends are wondering where you are."

He held up an arm, gesturing her forward with a pleasant expression on his face. She stiffly walked passed him back towards the elevator and he followed, pressing the button and stepping back. "So what's it like out there?" He asked conversationally. "On the ground?" Kat shrugged, not feeling very cooperative. Her brain was still racing as she tried to figure out what was behind that metal door. "Oh come on, Katerina, enlighten me."

"Kat," she corrected automatically as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. "And I don't know. It's hard to describe – the color, the unbelievable feeling of life and energy that flows through you – it's amazing." She glanced over at him and she could almost physically feel how much he wanted to experience what she was describing. "You've never been outside?"

"No," he said looking away, but not before she saw the determination in his eyes. "Not yet," he added softly. The elevator dinged and he shook off his mood, the empty smile back on his face. "This is your stop. It was very nice to meet you, Katerina Hale."

"Yeah," Kat said slowly, eyebrows furrowed. "It's been… interesting."

"See you around," he promised after she stepped out and the elevator doors began to close.

Kat blinked, staring at the closed doors as confusion flooded through her. What the hell just happened? Why did that guy give her the creeps? And what the fuck was behind that door?

She headed towards the dining hall, cringing as she realized that not only did Cage still have Maya's key card, but Kat's whole trip had been pointless. She learned nothing about the Mountain Men and was no closer to finding a way out of this place either. Hopefully Clarke had better luck than she did.

Kat entered the room and scanned it quickly before heading towards Miller who was sitting at the end of a long table with Monty. She collapsed into the seat next to him, sighing loudly as she reached over and snatched a pancake off Miller's plate. He tried to smack her hand away but she was too quick, sitting back in her seat with a smug grin on her face.

"Where've you been?" Monty asked, leaning forward.

Kat shrugged, taking a bite of the pancake. "Just taking a look around."

"Why?"

"Do you trust these people?" Kat asked instead, tilting her head to the side and studying him curiously.

"You don't?" He countered immediately.

"No, though I make it a general rule not to trust anyone," Kat answered honestly, taking another bite and leaning forward in her chair with her elbows on the table. "There's something off about this place. They told us that they found no survivors from the Ark. There were thousands of people up there – none of them survived? Also," Kat added, taking another bite. "If we really were guests here, we'd be allowed to walk out the doors if we decided that we want to."

"But why would you want to?" Monty asked, sounding confused. "We're safe here. For the first time in over a month we don't have to worry about being attacked in our sleep or having a spear thrown at us when we step outside our walls."

"For how long?" Kat asked in a quiet voice. "Are you going to stay locked up in here until you grow old and die? Never see the sky, the grass or the trees again? I, for one, want nothing to do with this place."

Miller's face darkened. "What is it with you two?" He asked bitterly. She looked over in surprise at the sound of his voice and saw that he wasn't even looking at her. She followed his line of sight and noticed Clarke enter the room, a determined look on her face as she headed straight for President Wallace who was on the buffet line surrounded by his people. They all watched for a moment as Clarke said something to President Wallace that had the people around them looking up in alarm. President Wallace pulled her to the side, they had a brief discussion and then he put down his plate and lead the way out of the dining room. "Why can't you just leave it alone and enjoy the peace and quiet for once?"

Kat made some sort of noise, not really paying attention to what he was saying. Clarke had given her a significant look and Kat was extremely pre-occupied with trying to decipher what it meant.

It was obvious she had found something. But what?

It wasn't until later that day that Kat learned exactly what Clarke found out. She had wandered from the dormitory back to the dining hall for lunch when she saw Clarke slumped in an armchair, staring down at the map of Mount Weather with a depressed look on her face. The others were playing cards and having fun and Clarke was sitting in a corner by herself. Typical. As Kat headed towards her, Clarke made a disgusted face, crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it over her shoulder.

"Hey," Kat greeted, pulling over a chair of her own close enough to Clarke so that nobody would overhear them. "So what happened? You've been gone with President Wallace for a long time."

Clarke sighed, rubbing her temples with her eyes closed. "I don't know what to believe or think anymore."

"Start from the beginning," Kat suggested. "What happened after the alarm went off?"

"Jasper and I followed Maya and while they were getting their radiation suits on, we were able to slip in before them and see the first body. It was a bullet wound Kat, I was so sure it was a bullet wound. But when I confronted President Wallace about it, he showed me the body again later and told me it was an arrow wound that they had to break off and push out his back."

"What does your gut tell you?" Kat asked.

"That this place and these people can't be trusted." She sighed again, shaking her head. "Jasper thinks I'm going crazy, seeing things because I want them to be true. He says I'm the biggest threat to them."

Kat nodded, grimacing. "Yeah, the rest of them are feeling the same way, except they say I'm causing trouble too."

Clarke looked over at her for the first time. "What about you? Did you find anything?"

"Nothing interesting," Kat told her, feeling disappointed all over again. "I headed down to the seventh level and found Wallace's office. I also saw this sinister looking metal door with a lock, a keypad and an iron bar. Either the person who designed the door is an idiot and put the bar on the wrong side, or there's something down there that they don't want to come out."

Clarke looked immensely interested, frowning as she leaned closer. "What do you think it could be?"

Kat snorted. "In this crazy, fucked up world that we live in? Who can even guess? That's not it though, I met Wallace's son."

"He has a son?" Clarke asked in confused disbelief.

"Apparently. He caught me inspecting the door and I had to tell him I swiped Maya's keycard. I half expected him to turn me in all day, but it's as if nothing happened in the first place."

Clarke said something else but a tingling on the back of Kat's neck made her tense. She casually turned in her seat to look over her shoulder and sure enough, there he was. He didn't say anything this time, just stood there with his arms crossed, watching her with a serious look on his face. She stared at him, the usual feeling of longing and guilt washing over her. She had hoped that since he hadn't shown up for most of the day that she wasn't going to see him at all. Obviously she was deluded.

"Holy shit," she heard Clarke mutter under her breath. It pulled her back to the real world and she turned to see Clarke sit straighter in her seat, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"What?" Kat asked, forcing herself to focus, trying to find what Clarke was looking at. "What is it?"

"That man. Langston." Clarke said softly, nodding across the room to where a couple of the guards were talking. "The one in the t-shirt. I saw him this morning, he was brought in with the body I saw!" Clarke hissed quickly. "He was almost completely covered in radiation burns, he could barely walk let alone breathe!"

"Are you sure?" Kat asked doubtfully, watching the healthy man laugh with his buddy. "Maybe it was someone different – "

"Look at his arm!" Clarke insisted. "And his face! He's not completely healed yet." Kat looked and saw that there were still spots of burns on his body.

As they watched they heard him tell his friend, "I gotta pass. Doc says I've still got one more treatment."

"One more treatment?" Kat repeated quietly. "What does that mean?"

"Only one way to find out," Clarke muttered, hurrying out of her seat to follow the guard as he left the dining room. Kat scrambled after her and they both snuck down the hallway, peering around the wall to watch Langston swipe his keycard and get on the elevator.

"Now what?" Kat asked.

"Not here," Clarke whispered, taking Kat's arm and pulling her back to the dormitory room. Clarke pushed her into the small alcove where they had first met, out of the camera's view, murmuring under her breath, "We need to get into Medical. We need to see how they're treating him to be basically healthy in less than twelve hours."

"Okay," Kat said back, confused. "So let's go. Where is it?"

Clarke gave an annoyed groan. "We can't get into Medical without a medical issue."

An idea sparked in Kat's brain and her spirits lifted slightly. She had been looking forward to something like this ever since Clarke had grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into the dropship. Ever since Clarke had stopped Kat from helping Bellamy. "I've got a plan. Just follow my lead and try to keep up. You go in first."

Clarke looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but she swallowed them and gave a hesitant nod. Kat followed her, allowing a brief, anticipatory grin to spread across her face before she wiped it away, narrowing her eyes and putting a snarl on her face. Her eyes swept the room quickly to make sure it was empty before beginning. "This whole thing is all _your_ fault, Clarke!" Kat shouted, punctuating her point with a shove to Clarke's back and sending her stumbling a couple of steps forward.

Startled and confused, Clarke righted herself quickly and turned to face her. "What the hell, Kat – "

"I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can barely breathe – He's dead. You wouldn't let me help him and now we're stuck in here with people who haven't seen the ground in 97 years. You killed him!" She shrieked, bringing back her fist and punching Clarke in the stomach. Hard enough for it to hurt but not too hard that she broke any ribs.

The breath whooshed out of the other girl as she bent over in pain. When she looked up, Kat saw the understanding in her eyes. She had finally caught onto the plan. "How many times are we going to go through this, Kat?" Clarke asked in a fierce voice. "I did what was best for my people and I will continue to do so. If I had waited for Bellamy and Finn, the grounders would have converged on us and killed us all. I did the right thing and I would do it again."

"So you kill the man you have feelings for and you're just okay with it – "Clarke swung at her and without thinking, Kat caught her fist in her hand. Clarke's eyes shot furious daggers at her. "Sorry," Kat barely whispered in surprise, letting her go. "Force of habit – "

Kat's head snapped to the side as Clarke used her other hand to backhand her across the face. Kat wiped a hand across her mouth and tasted blood. "You want to fight me, Kat?" Clarke taunted, her blue eyes ablaze. "Will that make you feel better? Then bring it on. Let's see what you've got."

Things accelerated pretty quickly from there. Kat had never been in a fight like this in her life. She made to punch Clarke who stumbled backwards out of reach. Clarke advanced on Kat but ended up overcompensating – she unbalanced when she attempted to punch Kat and the two of them staggered into a nearby bunk bed. Clarke hit the metal frame first, crying out in pain as her arm snagged on a loose nail and cut deeply into her arm.

Blue eyes flashing in real anger, Clarke turned and tackled Kat to the ground. Kat grunted in pain as her head smacked against the floor. Annoyance flashed through her and Kat realized that this wasn't a fake fight anymore. They weren't trying to kill each other, but their hits had some real weight behind it this time.

There were punches, there were kicks, flying elbows, but Kat found more often than not that she was getting scratched as well. There was shouting, groans of pain and shrieks of anger. It was like Kat forgot all the fighting techniques that she ever learned and dissolved into an angry, teenage mess.

When the guards finally showed up and pulled them off each other, Clarke was sporting a swollen eye, the cut on her arm, and other multiple bruises. Kat had a split lip, a sprained left wrist and scratches along her face and chest.

"Let go of me," Kat snarled, struggling to free herself from the two guards holding her. Clarke was struggling to get to Kat as well, shouting obscenities at her.

"Sedate them!" Kat heard someone say as if from far away. There was a sharp prick on the side of her neck and almost immediately Kat's vision went blurry, her muscles weakening as the floor suddenly tilted. Kat sagged in the arms of the guards.

Right before she lost consciousness, Kat noticed Bellamy standing off to the side, an amused smirk on his face. "That was a regular cat fight," he commented, laughter in his voice. He wagged his eyebrows. "Get it? _Kat_ fight?"

"So stupid," Kat mumbled, slurring her words. Her head lolled to the side as the darkness closed in and she lost consciousness.

* * *

Kat winced as she woke up, blinking rapidly and holding back a groan as her head began to pound. There were florescent lights above her and for a brief second Kat feared that she was strapped to the bed again, being pumped with drugs to sedate her. She sat up quickly, lifting her arms and breathing a sigh of relief when she realized she wasn't restrained. There was a small black brace on her left wrist that twinged slightly when she moved it, but other than that it wasn't too bad.

She looked over to her right and saw that Clarke was just sitting up in bed as well. They made eye contact and an awkward silence pressed on them. "We really need to teach you to fight," Kat joked half-heartedly, trying to ease the tension. Both of them seemed to realize that there were still issues between them, issues that probably wouldn't be fixed in the near future.

"Let's never speak of this again," Clarke suggested.

"Agreed," Kat answered, nodding firmly. She swung her legs over the side of the bed as Clarke got up to look around, noticing the ugly yellow medical outfit that she was someone had changed her into.

Grimacing at the thought, Kat stood, shivering as her bare feet touched the cold floor. Having never been there before, Kat surveyed her surroundings with interest, observing the rows of medical beds and the machines that were next to them. There were a few people unconscious on them, an older man with gray hair, the man that Clarke had seen covered in radiation burns and a familiar looking man with tousled black hair, a smattering of freckles across his cheekbones and soft pink lips – Kat did a double take as she realized she was seeing Bellamy, but when she looked back at the bed she didn't see him. She saw a burnt, slightly smoking skeleton with wide, gaping eye sockets and it's mouth open in a cruel, taunting laugh.

Kat must have made some noise because Clarke looked around, taking in her expression with concern. "Are you alright?" She asked. "You look really pale."

"I'm fine," Kat said with a quick smile, glad she couldn't hear her pounding heart as she pushed the image out of her mind and hurried to Clarke's side. She watched the blonde girl closely examine the man on the bed, her eyebrow furrowed and her lip between her teeth. For a moment, a wave of overwhelming grief crashed over her. She wished that Octavia were here with her right now instead of Clarke. Octavia would be able to sense that something was wrong and Kat would have at least considered explaining that she was slowly beginning to lose her mind. Although at this point she may have already lost it. Guilt chased the grief away. Kat and Clarke may not have some problems between them, but that doesn't mean she wished for Clarke to take Octavia's place.

She refocused on the man, her own frown crossing her face when she saw that the man was hooked up to the machine and what looked like blood was pumping both in and out of his body. "What is all this?" Kat asked, mystified.

"I don't know," Clarke admitted. "I tried to wake him up but they must have sedated him for this." She pointed to the small raised white circle on his chest where the tubes were sticking out. "Doctor Tsing said that all of their people have this in case of exposure."

"It looks like blood is going into his body," Kat said quietly, looking up at Clarke in confusion. "But where is it coming from?"

Clarke's eyes followed the line of tubes, tracing it back to the machine and then up into a pipe along the wall. "It looks like it's coming through here," she said slowly, her eyes still on the pipe as she began to follow it. It led to the opposite wall of the room through a door, which she tried to open but couldn't. "Come here," she called softly over her shoulder. "Help me try and open this."

Kat jogged over to Clarke and together they both tried to open the door. Eventually Clarke huffed and gave up, stepping back a few paces and surveying the wall with a hand on her hips. "There," Kat pointed, noticing a circular vent in the corner of the room. They headed over to it and together they were able to push it open with brute strength and an unfortunate amount of noise. "After you," she gestured with a smirk.

Clarke rolled her eyes but crawled through first. Kat followed right after her and stood up when she got through, brushing herself off before looking up. "Holy fucking shit," she breathed, her stomach lurching unpleasantly, bile rising in her throat. Two unconscious men were strapped to the ceiling by their ankles, wearing nothing but a pair of white underwear. Tubes were attached to their arteries and went into the floor. Kat finally understood where the blood was coming from. The eerie lighting and rock walls gave the whole things a very sinister feel and the men's skin looked like an unhealthy white. "What kind of fucked up asshole," Kat said in a quiet voice, her voice and body shaking with barely repressed anger. "Came up with this psychotic plan."

"Kat," Clarke called softly, and there was an edge to her voice that gave Kat a terrible feeling of foreboding.

Clenching her hands into fists, Kat braced herself and turned around. What she saw made her want to puke. There were cages. Probably about a hundred cages on different floors reaching up to the ceiling of the large, circular room that they were trapped in. There were people, human beings in these small cages. They weren't big enough for these people to lay down in let alone stand up and stretch. Unsurprisingly there was a stench in the air, a combination of sweat and other bodily fluids.

"Who are they?" Kat asked, her skin prickling uncomfortably as all eyes were focused on them.

"I think they're grounders," Clarke answered in a strained voice. "The grounders are immune to the radiation on the ground. The Mountain Men must be draining their blood and filtering it through the people who become injured by the radiation. It heals them."

She started walking through the lines of cages, a look of disbelief on her face as she looked at the people staring out at her. Clarke crouched in front of one and Kat nearly fell over when she suddenly whispered in shock, "Anya?"

Kat's head whipped around, her eyes wide as she hurried over. It was Anya, but it wasn't the Anya that Kat remembered. Gone was the war paint and the swords, gone was the confidence and every other quality that made her an exceptional leader. All that was left was a starving, beaten down shell of who she used to be. "We have to get her out of here," Kat whispered fiercely, looking over at Clarke. "We have to get them all out."

Clarke nodded in determination. "Look around, try to find something that we can use to break open this lock." They both sprang into action, Kat trying to focus on the task at hand as the prisoners reached through their cage bars to try and get her attention. She froze at the edge of the room, her eyes wide as her heart leapt in her chest, recognizing the enormity of this moment. There was a loud noise and Clarke suddenly appeared on her right, holding a small metal bar in her hand. "I think I've found something to open the lock," she said breathlessly, holding it up.

"That's good," Kat murmured, not taking her eyes off the sign on the door she was standing in front of. It read, 'End Containment Area.' "Because I think I just found a way out of this hellhole."

* * *

**Bellamy's POV**

_Soft, featherlike kisses peppered Bellamy's face and jaw line. Eyebrows furrowing, Bellamy blinked, prying his eyes open and looking around. He was lying on his back, staring up at the top of his tent with the sunlight streaming in through the opening. "Morning, sleepyhead," a familiar voice murmured._

_Bellamy glanced down and his heart nearly stopped in his chest. "Kat," he breathed in disbelief, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing. She grinned at him, her gray eyes twinkling as she rested her chin on her hands, which were draped across his chest, their legs tangled together._

"_The one and only," she smirked cheekily. "Were you expecting someone diff – "_

_He cut her off, grabbing her face between his hands and crashing his lips to hers. He could feel her surprise but ignored it, concentrating on the feel of her soft, warm lips against his as he hungrily devoured her. Kat got over her surprise quickly, her hands threading into his hair as she responded with an enthusiasm that made Bellamy's heart rate nearly triple. His hand trailed down her side, down to her hip to grab behind her knee and hitch her leg over his waist. He then flipped them over, groaning as she wrapped her legs around his waist._

_Confusion threaded through the relief and lust he was currently feeling. He pulled away, gasping for air and stared down at Kat. Her hands trailing up and down his back felt real. Her persistent lips kissing and lightly sucking his neck sure as fuck felt real. But it was nearly impossible to forget the all-consuming fear and anxiety that he had experienced when he realized Kat was gone. _

_He softly tugged one of her stray curls. "I miss you," he told her in a thick voice._

_Kat frowned at him, looking confused. "Miss me?" She repeated, mystified, reaching up her hand to cup his cheek. "I'm right here, tough guy."_

"_But how?" He asked quietly, mostly to himself. "How are you here?"_

_Kat gave him an innocent, angelic smile. "Does it matter?" She asked. "I'm here, Bellamy, and I love you."_

_Bellamy pulled away even further. "The Kat I know wouldn't have said that so easily," he pointed out. Now he knew something wasn't right._

_Kat's face underwent a complete transformation, now looking cold and hostile. "Well, maybe the Kat you knew no longer exists."_

"_What?" He asked, taken aback. Kat opened her mouth to respond but instead cried out in pain. "What is it?" he asked, panicking as she pushed him away and sat up, her hands scrabbling at her back. She struggled to take her shirt off, wincing in pain as tears filled her eyes. "Oh god," Bellamy breathed, horrified as he caught a glimpse of her back. Her scars were open, new slashes crossed them, the skin ragged as blood poured steadily from the wounds. She cried out again, hunching over and deep, purple bruises were suddenly visible on her wrists and ankles as well. When she moved her hands from her stomach and he saw that cuts and bruises covered most of her body. His eyes traveled over her wounds, a sickening feeling in his gut combining with a rage that threatened to overwhelm him. "Kat?" Bellamy asked in a strained voice. _

_She looked up and a sharp pain stabbed through his chest at the sight of the tears streaming down her face. "How can you be sleeping when you know I'm still out there? Why aren't you looking for me when you know what they are doing to me? Why won't you help me?"_

Bellamy gasped, sitting up awkwardly with his hands still restrained and wincing from the pain of the weird position he had been sleeping. He panted, his heart pounding in his ears and sweat making his hair stick to his forehead and neck. He looked around wildly for a second, taking in the metal of the Ark and the fact that he was currently a prisoner. His head fell back as his eyes closed, trying to get his breathing under control.

_Kat was still missing._ The thought reverberated in his head, a feeling of hopelessness and frustration spreading through him. He tugged angrily on the restraints – Kat was probably being tortured right at this moment and he was stuck here with –

"Bad dream?" Murphy asked in a sarcastic voice. Bellamy didn't answer him but Murphy continued on undeterred. "You can ignore me all you want, Bellamy, but if you don't want me asking questions then I would suggest you stop talking in your sleep." Bellamy stilled. What had he said? "Kat where are you?" He asked in a mocking voice. "Kat what's wrong?" He snorted. "I don't get it personally. She might be a good fuck, but her personality leaves something to be desired – "

"Shut up," Bellamy snarled, unconsciously straining towards him. "Shut your fucking mouth, Murphy."

Murphy blinked in surprise at his volatile reaction, tilting his head to the side in consideration. "You really love her, don't you?" He asked in a bewildered voice. Bellamy looked away, clenching his jaw. "It must be killing you to be locked up in here while they torture her." His voice turned hard. "I can tell you what she's going through, if you want. Sometimes they hang you by your wrists, but that isn't always a necessity to them."

"Stop," Bellamy whispered, feeling sickened.

"For me, the first thing they did was pull out my fingernails when I refused to answer their questions. They use these medieval pair of tweezers – "

"SHUT UP!" Bellamy roared, his voice echoing throughout their holding cell.

Murphy was silent for a long moment, watching him. "Tell you what," he began. "When you break out of this place, take me with you. Take me with you and I'll help you find Kat and the others."

"And why would I do that?" Bellamy asked, scoffing. "Did you hear Raven screaming earlier? That was while trying to remove a bullet that you put there. You told the grounders where to find us, you spread a virus through the camp and you personally killed Connor and Myles."

"Then you should know that I'll do whatever it takes to survive. I've made some mistakes along the way, but I can help you when others can't."

"Has anybody stopped by recently?" Bellamy asked, changing the subject.

Murphy shook his head. "Not since earlier today. It must be dark by now, everyone's probably still asleep."

Their heads whipped around as the doors opened. Finn ran through, dropping the pack he was carrying and pulling out a knife. Monroe hovered by the doors, giving him a nod as she stood watch. "Get up," Finn ordered in a firm voice, his face serious. "We're going after them."

A flicker of hope spread through his chest. "About time," he grunted, pushing away the relief he felt as Finn cut him free. Finn sent him a look but didn't say anything.

"Wait!" Murphy cried as they made their way to the door. "What about me?"

Bellamy glanced at Finn, who shook his head quickly, a warning look in his eye. But Bellamy's mind was already made up. He grabbed a pair of pliers off the ground and stalked towards Murphy. "Hold on!" Finn said quickly, hurrying between them. "What are you going to do?"

Bellamy cut the part of Murphy's restraint that tied him to the wall and roughly pulled him to his feet. "He's coming with us."

"No way," Finn disagreed darkly.

"He's the only one who's been to the grounder prison camp. And besides," Bellamy reluctantly admitted. "We need all the help we can get."

Finn looked like he wanted to argue again, but Monroe cut over him. "Sterling just signaled!" She whispered urgently. "Someone's coming."

"Follow me," Finn commanded, leading the way out of the Ark. Bellamy looked around carefully as he pushed Murphy in front of him. Finn led them out a side entrance where there were mysteriously no guards waiting.

"Something's wrong," Bellamy warned as they started through the trees. "It's too quiet and it was way too easy to sneak out of – "

Even as he was speaking, a guard stepped out from behind a tree and shone a light in their faces. Bellamy bit back a groan even as he shifted to the balls of his feet. He was going to fight his way out of here if it was the last thing he did – he was not going to be locked up again.

"You're late." Bellamy's mouth nearly dropped open as Abby Griffin stepped out of the darkness. Surprise flooded through him though he didn't know why. He knew that she would do whatever it took to find Clarke.

"Bellamy decided to bring company," Finn told her, nodding in Murphy's direction. It suddenly became very clear as to why it was so easy for them to sneak out.

Abby's face darkened when she saw who it was and Bellamy hurried to explain. "He's the only person who's been in their camp."

Abby nodded reluctantly and then together, she and the guard began to pass out guns to each of them. Bellamy hefted his in his hand, feeling comforted by the weight of it. "Find my son," the guard told them. "His name is Nathan Miller."

"I know Miller, he's a good kid," Bellamy answered. "Don't worry sir, we'll find him."

The guard nodded and stepped back. Bellamy passed Murphy off to Finn and gestured the others to go ahead of him. He gave a respectful nod to Abby as he passed by, but she stopped him by grabbing his arm. "I'm going out on a limb for you guys," Abby warned in a low voice. "They think you're just a bunch of kids, but they don't know the forest like you guys do. I need you to find my daughter. I need you to bring them all home."

"Believe me, Mrs. Griffin," he said softly. "I want to bring them home just as much as you do."

"I know," she whispered, her voice sympathetic. "We're all counting on you, Bellamy Blake."

He nodded again and trudged off after the others, full of determination and a purpose that filled his entire body and made him feel like he could do anything. All he had to do was sneak into a grounder camp and free all his people without anyone getting hurt. No pressure.

_I'm coming for you Kat,_ he thought, fists clenched. _For real this time. Hang in there._

* * *

**Author's Note: Whew! It seems like Kat and Clarke are close to escaping Mount Weather and Bellamy is finally out searching for her and the rest of his people. It appears that they're one step closer to finding each other at last! What do you guys think is going to happen?**

**I'm feeling a lot of pressure to write a perfect reunion (Not that it's a bad thing! I love that you guys are so excited about it :) What would you like to see happen? I have a pretty good idea, but if you guys have anything specific in mind, let me know!**

**I'm honestly so happy that I created Kat and started writing these stories. All of you have helped me develop a love for writing that I didn't know existed. Thank you for that.**

**Review please! I love getting those emails – they encourage me to write faster :)**


	3. Plans Gone Awry

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who took the time to review my story!**** They make me wish I could write faster for all of you! Thank you to all my guest reviewers as well, especially Fangirling007, who always takes the time to leave such kind and thoughtful reviews. I always send a thank you PM to reviewers with accounts, but I guess I'll just answer yours on here so you know I appreciate you! When writing this story I usually have an easy time planting her into the story – with some twists, of course! Thank you again!**

**Special thanks to Dannylionthe1st for being an awesome beta!**

**Hope everyone enjoys this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Plans Gone Awry

**Bellamy's POV**

Bellamy was losing his patience. Fast. Between Murphy's constant sarcastic comments, Monroe and Sterling's near silence and Finn's obsessive, slightly unhinged behavior, Bellamy was going to end up punching one of them in the face.

They had been walking for hours – the sun was now shining through the trees so Bellamy would say it was late morning. As it always did, his mind drifted to Kat. Was she locked up somewhere that she could see the sunshine? Smell the fresh air? Somehow he highly doubted that. A thought suddenly struck him and he nearly stumbled at the realization. Kat had a grounder contact, or friend or whatever. Was she with him and his people? Did he betray her or did he go against his people to try and protect her from the torture?

"So I think it's about time we get rid of these things," Murphy drawled, holding his hands up. Bellamy ground his teeth, scowling. "Whaddya say?"

"I say no. Again," he answered shortly, grabbing Murphy's arm roughly and pulling him forward. "Which way to the camp?"

An annoyed look crossed Murphy's face. "Hey, if I get attacked out here, I have nothing to defend myself with."

Bellamy glared at him. "I don't care." Bellamy looked around as Finn knocked his shoulder as he brushed by him. He watched with a mixture of disbelief and surprise as Finn took out his knife and cut the ties around Murphy's wrists. Murphy gave Bellamy a smug look as Finn walked away again. "Hey!" Bellamy called, jogging after him. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"It was your idea to bring him," Finn answered, an undercurrent of anger in his voice.

"Yeah, because like I told you already, he's the only one who knows where the grounders keep the prisoners – "

"Then we probably shouldn't let him be defenseless out here!" Finn argued, keeping his gaze straight ahead and picking up the pace. "We can handle Murphy," he said gruffly, the tone of his voice indicating the end of their conversation.

"You better hope so," Bellamy said uselessly, watching his back with a frown as he stalked away. Something seemed different about Finn. Like he was unhinged somehow, and Bellamy was just waiting for it to blow up in his face. Could this change of personality all be because of Clarke?

He swore under his breath. Now he had to keep an eye on both him and Murphy all while trying to find Kat and the rest of their people.

"So do I get a gun now?" Murphy asked with a smirk on his face. Bellamy rolled his eyes, shoving Murphy in front of him and feeling satisfied when it caused him to stumble. Murphy sent him a glare over his shoulder but didn't say anything else, just changed directions slightly and led the way.

_He better know where he's going,_ Bellamy thought savagely. _If he leads us into a trap, then I'm finally going to kill the little prick._ He thought back to when they first landed on the ground, when Kat wanted nothing to do with him and Murphy was his right hand man. What had he been thinking?

They walked for another hour. The hot sun was beaming down on them through the trees and making them sweat, but they didn't stop for a break. Bellamy had just switched places with Finn and was leading them through the forest when Murphy suddenly grabbed him and pulled him down behind a large log, hissing, "Get down!"

Bellamy crouched down, surveying the scene in front of him as the others joined them. "Told you I could find it," Murphy said smugly. Bellamy ignored him. It was a big structure, crudely made by the grounders from the surrounding trees. He shifted his gun higher so he could look through the scope and viewing the area with his heart pounding in anticipation. He didn't know what he would find – Kat strung up on a whipping post, Jasper and the rest of their people on the ground around her – but a curious sense of both relief and disappointment washed through him.

"I don't see anything but grounders," he observed. Part of him didn't want her to be captured here and tortured by the grounders, but the other part wanted her to be here because he didn't know where else she could be. "Our people aren't here."

Finn snatched the other gun from Sterling and brought it up so he could see. "Wait a minute," he said suddenly. "They've got stuff from our dropship."

Bellamy checked again and sure enough he was right. There were a few grounders holding what looked the seat belt straps that they had in the dropship. "So maybe they know where our friends are."

"Yeah, or maybe they killed them already," Murphy drawled. Bellamy didn't look his way, but his words made Bellamy's heart sink in his chest. The briefest realization that Kat might be dead slipped through Bellamy's brain and he momentarily lost his breath as a sharp pain in his chest made him tighten his grip on his gun. _No_, he denied, shying away from the thought. _She's alive… somewhere._

"Son of a bitch," Finn spat, breaking Bellamy away from his dark thoughts.

"What is it?" He asked quickly, looking through the gun again.

"The guy with the one eye," Finn whispered in a hushed voice, his teeth gritted. Bellamy spotted him easily. A thick red scar ran across his forehead, down where his right eye would be to he cheek. "Around his neck." Bellamy looked a little lower and paused, confused.

"What am I looking at?" He asked, throwing a glance in Finn's direction.

"He's got Clarke's watch! It was her father's."

The full impact of what Finn was saying slammed into Bellamy. Clarke had never told him the full story of what happened between her father and her mother, but Bellamy had heard bits and pieces from other people and he knew how much she loved her father. "She wouldn't have given that up without a fight," he said in a low voice.

A determined look crossed Finn's face. "And neither will we," he promised.

"Okay," Bellamy said after a moment, a plan beginning to form in his mind. "Finn, you're with me. You two stay here, make sure you stay _out of sight._ If this thing goes south, take out the other grounders but not the one with the watch. Copy?"

"Copy," Monroe and Sterling repeated. Monroe glanced at Murphy with disdain. "What about Murphy?"

"Do I get a gun now?" He asked, sounding as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Something like that," Bellamy answered, grabbing Murphy's arm again and hauling him to his feet.

The plan worked perfectly. Murphy was given two large rocks and positioned himself close to where the grounder with the one eye was standing watch. He knocked the rocks together and when the grounder came to investigate the noise, Bellamy approached him from behind, swinging a thick branch at his head and knocking him unconscious with a satisfying thunk.

"We need to bring him somewhere quiet," he said to Finn as he approached.

"I know just the place," Finn answered. "Grab him and the others then follow me." With a giant effort, both Bellamy and Murphy picked up the grounder and staggered after Finn. Anticipation zipped through Bellamy's veins, his face hard and determined. He wanted to find out where his people were and he was finally one step closer in doing so.

* * *

**Kat's POV**

"We need to hurry," Clarke muttered, tearing her eyes away from the door, running back over to Anya's cage and began struggling to break open the lock. Kat still couldn't quite believe her eyes as she frantically looked around for a weapon or something else to use to help these people out of their cages. She kept her eyes averted – she felt sick and guilty every time she looked one of those poor starving people in the eye, just waiting in terror to see if they were going to be next to be drained of their blood. Nobody should have this kind of fate.

Kat froze when she heard the sound of a door being opened, throwing a wild, panicked glance in Clarke's direction. There was no time to think of a plan, not time to do anything really. Clarke had just helped Anya out of the cage and were unable to move or hide. They could do nothing but stand there as heels clicked across the floor and a female doctor appeared, carrying a clipboard. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked in a loud, angry voice as she spotted Clarke and Anya. Kat hovered out of sight, brain racing as she tried to come up with a plan.

"What are you doing?" Clarke shot back, just as angry. She gestured to the cages surrounding them. "These are _people_, humans, and you're treating them like animals, draining their blood so could help heal your people – "

"Are you telling me you wouldn't do the same thing?" The doctor asked, tilting her head to the side and surveying her critically.

Clarke caught sight of Kat sneaking up behind the doctor and Kat brought a finger to her lips, gesturing her to keep the doctor talking. "No, I wouldn't – "

"You killed three hundred grounders, burning them in a terrible, painful death, to save your people," the doctor countered in a soft voice. "I'm just helping my people, same as you."

Clarke changed the subject. "If you are hiding something like this from us, then maybe my gut feeling is right." Her voice grew excited. "You doctored that bullet wound on your soldier to make it look like an arrow wound. Our people are still alive out there – "

"Wait a minute," the doctor interrupted, stiffening suspiciously. "Weren't you brought in with another girl? Katerina?"

"Present," Kat announced, making her move. She quickly stepped up behind the doctor, wrapping her right arm around her throat and making sure her bicep was on one side of her neck and her forearm on the other. Her free arm reached behind the doctor's head to grab her right bicep as she began to squeeze. "And I prefer Kat," she whispered in her ear, applying pressure to both sides of her neck and pressing the doctors head forward into Kat's elbow. The doctor's nails scrabbled against Kat's arms, leaving gouges but Kat didn't let up until, after a few seconds, the doctor went limp.

"Is she dead?" Clarke asked quietly.

"Just unconscious," Anya answered, watching Kat closely.

"We should hide her," Kat said. She looked up at them with a cruel look in her eyes. "I say we put her in the cage. Any objections?" They both shook their heads and together the three of them pushed and shoved the doctor's body inside, not being careful in the slightest. "Well," Kat announced, closing the cage door and standing back up and brushing her hands off. "I don't know about you guys, but that made me feel marginally better."

Anya was still pretty weak from lack of food and water and leaned heavily on Clarke for support. "Come on, help me with her!" Clarke ordered, ignoring Kat completely. "We need to get out of here before someone notices she's missing."

"What?" Kat asked in shock. "But Clarke, what about all the others? We can't just leave them here to die – "

"We can't help them if we get captured again!" Clarke snapped impatiently, blue eyes flashing. "That's Doctor Tsing and I'm guessing that she's in charge of this whole, fucked up thing. We need to escape from here, Kat, we have no choice if we want to find our friends." Kat was torn. Logically, she knew that they had to leave – they had gotten lucky this far but their luck wouldn't hold out for long. And she wanted to get out of this mountain so damn badly, but her conscious was struggling with the fact that if she didn't help these people when she could have, their blood was on her hands. "There's no time for this Kat," Clarke whispered quickly, actually taking a threatening step towards her. "I will drag you out by your hair again if I have to."

Kat threw her a glare at that comment, but eventually listened, throwing Anya's other arm over her shoulder and helping Clarke support her weight as they hurried towards the door. They struggled a little, grunting, but eventually got it open. Kat let Clarke and Anya go ahead of her as she turned one last time to look at the room. "We'll find a way to free you," she whispered to them even though they couldn't hear her. "I promise."

Then she shut the door behind them. She quickly jogged after Clarke, through another room with a pair of grounders hanging upside down. She wished more than anything that she could cut them down, but all it would do was raise suspicion with the Mountain Men. Clarke led them through to the end, which had a square, rusted door on the floor. As they paused in confusion, there was a sharp click through the small area and they whirled around to see that they had just been locked inside the room.

Clarke rushed forward to pry the doors open with her fingers and Kat had to struggled not to roll her eyes. "You aren't going to open those heavy metal doors with nothing but your hands, Blondie." Kat told her sarcastically.

"Well do you have any better ideas?" Clarke snapped over her shoulder.

Kat opened her mouth to answer but was cut off as the sound of a loud, alarm suddenly blared through the room, a yellow light suddenly flashing as if in warning.

"What is that?" Anya whispered, looking around as Clarke slowly backed away from the door. They all shared a wide-eyed bewildered look, then screamed with surprise as the floor suddenly dropped open and they freefell in the darkness. Their bodies slammed together as they landed on a long slide that shot them into something very painful.

Kat lost her breath as she landed hard on her back, and it took her a moment as she gasped, struggling to breathe. She heard one of the other girls grunt next to her and struggled to move, wincing as she turned her head to the side to see whom it was. A strangled yell escaped her throat as she was realized she was face to face with a barely clothed man who was staring back at her with wide, lifeless eyes. Her yell made the others look around as she clambered over more dead bodies and threw herself up and over the edge of the cart, stumbling as she landed on the ground, brushing off the medical gown she was wearing and feeling extremely grossed out.

There was whimpering coming from inside the metal cart and Kat peered back in to see Anya with a distraught look on her face as she went from one body to the other, grabbing their faces so she could see them. Kat's heart hurt for her. She had just landed in a pile of corpses of people that she used to know – Kat didn't want to ever know what that must have felt like. "Anya!" Clarke cried, halfway over the edge of the cart. "Grab my hand!"

Anya stared at her in a daze before slowly reaching out and allowing Clarke and Kat to help her out. Kat looked around, walking a short distance away. They were in some dark, creepy underground mining tunnel with two ways that they could go. Which one was the way to the exit? And where did the other lead?

"Hey, there are clothes over here!" Clarke called from a short distance away. "Come get dressed, we can't cover any ground like this."

Kat headed over immediately, gratefully taking the clothes and desperately trying not to think about where they came from. The medical clothes were extremely uncomfortable and left her feeling very exposed – not exactly the best escape outfit.

"I won't leave my people behind," Anya murmured softly.

Kat and Clarke shared a quick look filled with frustration and panic. Kat gave a shrug, making a 'what do you expect me to do about it' face and Clarke sighed, getting up and hurrying over to Anya. "Anya, listen to me," she implored. "My people are still stuck inside this place too. But they have guards, they have weapons. Once we get out of here we can find help, we can come back – "

"There is no _we_," Anya interrupted hotly, a little bit of her old fierceness returning.

"Hey if it hadn't been for Clarke you would still be stuck in that cage," Kat snapped back impatiently. "How about a little gratitude and respect, you stupid – "

Kat broke off, stiffening in alarm as sounds echoed from the other end of the tunnel. "Someone's coming," Anya whispered.

"Not just someone," Clarke said, her eyes wide. "Reapers."

"Shit," Kat swore. She still saw the reaper's deformed faces from the battle at the dropship and she had no desire to come face to face with them again.

Anya, the stubborn idiot, actually straightened on shaky legs and took a few steps _towards_ the reapers. "You can hardly stand," Clarke chastised, waving at Kat to help her take some of Anya's weight. "Come on, I have a better idea. Over here, help me lift her." Together Kat and Clarke pushed and shoved Anya into an empty cart then jumped in themselves, Clarke carrying the bundle of clothes that she had found. They huddled at the bottom and hardly dared to breathe.

They watched the light from their torches as they approached. There was a low grunt and then something heavy was thrown into the cart. Kat's hand reached up to cover her mouth, swallowing a scream as she realized the heavy thing was a body. It reeked terribly, and it only got worse as they threw in three more bodies. One of them landed on top of her and Kat felt it move slightly, realizing with horror that these people weren't dead. Just on the edge of it.

Kat fervently hoped that the reapers would leave right after, but their situation only got worse from there. One of the reapers started pushing the cart along the tracks. Kat couldn't imagine where they were going. Where did they dump the dead grounder bodies?

Her fists clenched, her entire body tense as the adrenaline rushing through her body made her heart race. When the reapers realized they were alive it was going to be a fight to the death. They had no weapons, one of them was so weak she was basically half dead and the other had no fighting experience at all. The odds were _not_ in their favor.

A couple minutes later they came to an abrupt stop. Kat forced herself to lie perfectly still as two disgusting reapers appeared over the edge of the cart, grabbing one of the bodies they threw in and lifting it out. There was the mumbled, incoherent sound of the reapers talking, the telltale sound of a blade sliding across skin and the gurgling, terrified screaming of the person whose throat was just slit.

Kat looked around as Clarke slowly sat up so that she could peer over the edge of the cart. "Oh god," she blanched, paling.

Kat gently pushed the body off of her. "What is it?" She whispered urgently.

"They're…. they're _feeding_ on him," Clarke answered in a shocked voice full of disgust and disbelief.

Kat swallowed the bile rising in her throat. "They're distracted, we should go now. Here." She handed Clarke the pile of clothes and pushed her slightly so she would hop out of the cart. Kat looked over her shoulder to see Anya crouched over the body of the man that was on top of Kat, her hands cradling his face. "Anya I swear to whatever god is out there, if you don't move it – "

Anya sent her a glare filled with such fury that Kat shut up. She looked back down at the man, a tender expression on her face. "Yu gonplei st odon."

Kat didn't know what the words meant, but they must have held some significance because Anya snapped the man's neck with a solemn look on her face. She heard Clarke gasp from behind her, but Kat didn't flinch. She could understand the reasoning behind Anya's actions. Better to die by the kind hand of his leader than a painful death when the reapers fed on him.

Anya finally took Kat's offered hand and clambered out of the cart, running in the opposite direction of the reapers and only stopping when they felt it was far enough. "Here," Clarke panted, handing clothes to Kat and Anya. "Get dressed, quickly." Kat quickly slipped on the black pants and boots, black faded t-shirt and dark gray jacket and when they were all ready, they started running again.

They hadn't gone very far when Clarke stopped once more. "Damn it, this place is a maze!" She hissed in frustration, looking at all the paths that they could take.

Anya wasn't listening. "When you were talking to that woman before, what did you mean? What are they doing to us?"

"They use your blood," Clarke told her, bending over slightly to catch her breath. "I saw a soldier come in with radiation burns – hours later he was fine. It's like your blood is healing them, somehow. I've never seen anything like it."

"Guys, I don't mean to interrupt this moment," Kat interjected, glancing warily back in the direction they came. "But we really need to keep moving."

"You're right," Clarke nodded, turning to go. "Come on."

Kat moved to follow her, turning to glance back at Anya and gritting her teeth in frustration. "Seriously? Where are you going?" She asked in exasperation.

"Hey, that's the way back to the reapers!" Clarke told her quickly as she saw Anya heading back the way they came.

"You go your way, I'll go mine," Anya murmured.

"We need to stick together – "

"I told you there is no we – "

"I saved your life – "

"You saved my life because you need me," Anya spat. "I know the way back to your people, I know where the traps are hidden." Kat blinked. Had Clarke thought of all that before saving Anya? Because it hadn't even crossed Kat's mind until Anya pointed it out. "You'll never make it out there on your own," Anya taunted, bringing Kat back to the present.

"We don't have time for this," Clarke snapped, backing away and turning to go. "Our best chance of making it out of here alive is – "

"Uh, Clarke," Kat interrupted, calling her back. "She's gone."

"Fuck!" Clarke trilled, looking torn. "Forget her, we need to keep moving." And move they did. They ran through the tunnels, sweat pouring down their faces, breaths coming in pants and stitches in their sides.

"How do we know we're even going the right way?" Kat asked, her breathing harsh.

"We don't but we need – "

They both stopped short, skidding to a halt on the rocks of the tunnel. They had just rounded a corner and saw the light from the reaper's torches reflecting off the walls, their guttural voices echoing back to them. Kat grabbed Clarke's arm, spinning to run in the opposite direction only to stop once more, as their way was blocked by another reaper. "Oh no," Clarke moaned as the last direction they tried was also blocked. "Oh god."

They backed into a wall as the reapers closed in on them, growling and moaning, their grotesque faces making the experience that much more frightening. "I really wish I had my knife right now," Kat grunted under her breath as she raised her fists, preparing for a fight. Once again she wished Octavia were here instead. "How many do you think you can take?" She asked Clarke.

"Take?" Clarke repeated in a high pitch confused voice.

"Right," Kat nodded, trying to keep an eye on all the reapers. "Four on one it is, then."

* * *

**Miller's POV**

Worry gnawed on Miller's insides, the bad feeling only getting worse as the day went on. He had looked everywhere that he could without raising suspicion and there was still no sign of her. Finally, he admitted defeat and headed back toward the dining hall. He spotted Monty and Jasper sitting at one of the tables, solemn looks on their faces and made a beeline toward them. "Hey," he greeted in a low voice, sitting down next to Monty and leaning close so they wouldn't be overhead. "Have you guys seen Kat?"

"Kat's missing too?" Monty asked in alarm.

"Too?" Miller repeated, frowning. "Who else is missing?"

"Clarke," Jasper answered, his brown eyes worried. "We haven't seen her and we don't think she slept in her bed last night."

"Neither did Kat," Miller confirmed grimly.

"What do we do?" Monty asked softly.

Jasper sighed, his eyes on something over Monty's shoulder. "Maya has access to everything through her job. Maybe she can snoop around. If Clarke and Kat are in trouble maybe she can find out."

Miller was all for the idea but Monty looked hesitant, shaking his head. "I don't know. Clarke didn't trust them. What if she's right?"

"We can trust Maya," Jasper disagreed immediately before a slightly uncertain look crossed his face. "At least I think we can."

Miller looked over his shoulder to see Maya smiling at Jasper from the other side of the room. "What choice do we have if we want to find out what happened to Kat and Clarke?"

"I'll talk to her right now," Jasper told them, standing up and going over to join Maya. They watched them talk, their faces serious, before Maya nodded and left the room.

After that it was just a waiting game. They did their best to act normal, talking with their friends, eating lunch and playing games. It was another hour or two before Maya returned. Miller could tell by the look on her face that the news was not good.

"Did you find something?" Jasper asked as she joined them.

"Apparently," Maya began, hesitating. "Clarke and Kat had some sort of mental breakdown. They got into a screaming match earlier and guards had to pry them off each other. They wouldn't stop until both of them were sedated."

"And where are they now?" Miller asked.

"Psych ward. It's just like when Kat was in there before. They're being closely monitored but a friend that works there said it could be a few days before they let anyone see them." She took in their distraught faces and sighed. "I'm sorry."

Jasper shook his head, looking dejected. "Last time I saw her I called her crazy."

"Last time I saw Kat I accused her of being the one to get us all thrown out of here," Miller joined in morosely.

"They'll be okay," Maya told them, trying to cheer them up.

"You don't know that," Miller said in a hard voice. "What if they had been right about this place the whole time?"

He promised he would protect her. Now she was missing once again and he had failed.

* * *

**Bellamy's POV**

"We're going to do this again, and this time you're going to stop screwing with us!" Bellamy snapped in anger as he approached the one eyed grounder. His hands were tied behind his back and he was kneeling on the floor of the underground bunker that Finn had lead them to. "Where did you get this watch?" He waved it in the other man's face.

"I told you," the grounder drawled, gazing up at them with a bored expression. "I found it outside your camp."

"He's lying!" Finn exploded, fire in his eyes as he glared at the grounder. "Clarke would never take this off voluntarily."

"I know – " Bellamy tried to say, but Finn snatched the watch from him and shoved in the grounders face.

"Where is the girl," he snarled, his voice rising sharply. "Who was wearing this watch?!"

"I never saw a girl," the grounder responded calmly.

"Another lie," Murphy proclaimed. "Maybe you should stop asking him nicely – "

"Shut up Murphy!" Bellamy snapped, trying to regain some control of the situation. "Where are our friends? You took them, I know you did, just tell us where!"

The grounder actually had the audacity to roll his eye. "Murphy's right," Finn stated, pulling out his gun. "We're wasting time!" He brought the butt of the gun across the grounder's face before Bellamy could pull him back. "Answer the question!" Finn yelled, struggling. "Where is the girl that was wearing this watch?"

"Finn stop!" Bellamy roared, finally succeeding in shutting him up. "Trust me. There are some lines you can't uncross!"

A harsh look crossed Finn's face as he shoved Bellamy off him. "What is wrong with you? Kat is missing too – aren't you supposed to love her? Why aren't you doing everything you can to find her? This asshole knows where she is and you're just standing there asking him politely – "

Bellamy swallowed the rage that threatened to overwhelm him and desperately tried not to punch Finn in the face. "Don't you _dare_ suggest that I'm not doing everything I possibly can to find Kat and the rest of our people. I've been through this before and I remember how she looked at me back then. I disappointed her with my actions and I want her to be able to recognize me when I do find her!"

Finn stopped for a second and Bellamy clenched his teeth turning away as flashbacks of himself torturing Lincoln crossed his mind. He was doing everything he could while trying to still be the person that Kat had helped him become. But what if it wasn't enough to find Kat?

"Where is Clarke?" Finn screamed, once again rushing forward to start punching the grounder again. Bellamy swore under his breath, pulling Finn off him once more. "Back off!" Finn shouted, pointing the gun at Bellamy, a murderous look on his face.

"Put down the gun, Finn," Bellamy asked in a slightly shaking voice, in complete disbelief at how unhinged Finn was.

Glaring at Bellamy, he swung the gun around and pressed it against the grounders temple. "Three seconds!" Finn shouted. "Two! One!"

"Okay!" the grounder gasped, shocking Bellamy into silence. Was this grounder actually going to tell the truth? He thought grounders were supposed to me more hardcore than that. "I'll tell you. Your friends are east of here. The village where we take our prisoners of war."

"East where?" Finn growled, his hair falling down into his face. "How do we get to them?"

"I can draw you a map!" The grounder said quickly as Finn pressed the gun harder into his temple. "But you should hurry. Soon they'll outlive their usefulness."

"Somebody get him something for him to draw a map," Finn ordered, finally lowering the gun. Monroe hurried forward, giving a piece of paper and a pencil to the grounder.

"And you thought I was crazy," Murphy sarcastically murmured to Bellamy, brushing past him. Bellamy glanced at Finn, shaken by his actions. The Finn he remembered fought for peace with the grounders and didn't want to learn how to use a gun. This Finn was turning out to be the complete opposite.

The grounder was done with the map fifteen minutes later. Sterling grabbed the paper and brought it over to the light on the table so they could all study it. It was easy enough to follow. "Grab your gear," Bellamy ordered. "We're leaving."

"What about him?" Sterling asked, throwing a nervous glance at the grounder.

"We leave him."

"And what if he escapes?" Murphy asked, raising his eyebrows. "He knows exactly where we're going – "

"We're _not_ killing him," Bellamy said firmly, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't really see another option here," Murphy countered hotly. "If we don't take care of this now it's going to blow back on us and you know that."

"He's unarmed, Murphy – "

"He's a grounder," Murphy said as if he were stating the obvious. "Really?" He asked in disbelief, looking around at the rest of them. "Tell him!"

"I don't know," Monroe said uncertainly, shaking her head.

"You don't know what?" Murphy repeated in frustration. "He's going to tell his people everything, we're as good as dead. Our friends too," he added with a significant look at Bellamy. He knew what he was saying. Kat would die if this guy escaped.

"We're not doing this," Bellamy growled, pushing Kat out of his mind. "End of discussion. If you want him you'll have to go through me."

"What's happened to you, you're talking like you've never killed a grounder before – "

"That was in battle! This would be an execut-"

The sound of a gunshot rang through the small space making them flinch in surprise. They turned just in time to see the grounder drop to the floor, blood spreading from the bullet wound in his temple. Finn was standing over him with a blank expression on his face, one without remorse or regret, one that frightened Bellamy more than anything else.

Finn lowered the gun and stalked over to the table snatching the map and ignoring their looks of stupefied surprise. "Let's get moving," he ordered, climbing the ladder to leave the bunker.

Nobody seemed to know what to say. One by one, they shook off their shock and followed Finn. Murphy was the first, sending Bellamy a look of satisfaction. Sterling took a shaky breath and Monroe handed Bellamy his gun, giving him a troubled shrug.

Bellamy glanced back at the body, a terrible feeling of foreboding washing over him. He needed to keep a closer eye on Finn. He had a bad feeling this was not the end.

The feeling followed him back up to the ground and all along the next mile as they walked in silence, Bellamy taking up the rear. The back of his neck prickled almost as if someone was watching him. He started out glancing around out of the corner of his eye, but when he thought he saw a dark figure between the trees, he raised his gun, pausing.

He opened his mouth to shout to the others, but thought better of it. He didn't want a trigger happy Finn shooting first and asking questions later. Gun in the ready position, he made a note of where his group was before following the dark figure. Bellamy squinted through the scope as he jogged, catching sight of what looked like a young man with a long ponytail and a strange, loping run. Bellamy sped up as he lost sight of him through the trees, slowing when he came to a clearing.

He spun in a quick circle, breathing heavily, but the man was gone. Swearing under his breath, Bellamy heard the sounds of the others running after him. He frowned as a flash of light caught his eye. Walking over to a nearby log, Bellamy slowly bent over and picked up a small, black switchblade. He had to lock his legs so he wouldn't fall to his knees, his breathing ragged.

He would recognize this blade anywhere. It was Kat's.

* * *

**Kat's POV**

Before the reapers could make a move, a loud, high pitch screeching noise suddenly sounded and the reapers howled in pain, bending over and covering their ears. Kat and Clarke looked around wildly to see two Mountain Men in full radiation uniform approaching them, holding up a strange device. "Get away from them!" One of them shouted, waving a weapon threateningly and causing the reapers to scatter. "Clarke Griffin. Katerina Hale. You're coming with us," the other said in a hard voice.

Kat stayed quiet as they grabbed her and Clarke's arms, waiting for the right moment as they were guided back to Mount Weather. There was no way she was going back there without a fight. Clarke, apparently, was feeling the same way.

"I know everything," she proclaimed in a harsh voice. "I know what you're doing to them!"

"That's why you're going in the harvest chamber with them," Clarke's guard said, handing Clarke over to the other man as he went up to the intercom. His announcement shocked Clarke into a terrified silence. "Alpha Delta Two. We've reached the intake. Two prisoners in custody."

"Your mission was to bring back all three of them," the voice snapped angrily. "The outsider cannot be allowed to leave this mountain. Alpha Delta One is coming out now."

A loud, wild scream sounded from above them as Anya jumped down from out of nowhere, knocking the guard away from the intercom. It was exactly what Kat had been waiting for. She pivoted out of the other guard's grasp, kicking him in the chest and knocking him back several steps. Clarke gave a strangled yell, going for his mask and ripping it off making him scream as the radiation hit him. "His mask!" Clarke shouted to Anya who was fighting against the other one. "Take off his mask!"

Anya successfully did so and shouted over the man's screams, "I found a way out. This way!" Clarke paused to pick up the guns that they dropped, tossing one to Kat who caught it and sprinted after the others as the metal doors opened and another team streamed in.

They ran, listening to the shouts of the man behind him until Kat noticed that the tunnel was slowly growing lighter. Kat gave a yelp, skidding to a stop as they came to the edge of the tunnel, looking out into the clear blue sky. She glanced downward, swallowing harshly when she saw what looked like a waterfall dropping hundreds of feet down into what she guessed was a lake or a stream – the mist was completely covering the ground – that's how hard the water was falling.

"Wait!" Clarke cried, looking scared as she shouted over the sound of the water falling. "There has to be another way!"

"There isn't!" Anya shouted back.

"Drop your weapons!" The men shouted as the caught up to them, their own guns pointed at them. "There's no place left to go."

The three of them shared a panicked look and then Anya jumped. "Anya!" Clarke screamed, watching as her body disappeared into the mist.

"You don't have to do this! Do you hear me? It doesn't have to end like this!" Kat gritted her teeth, shifting her grip on the gun. They thought a fall from this height would kill them. But Kat didn't know if she could take on three armed men by herself.

Her brain raced. "I'm not going to back there to be treated like some animal, Clarke!" Kat told her, backing towards the edge as Clarke dropped her gun and put up her hands. "I will pull you by your hair if I have to – "

"Drop your weapon, Katerina!" He shouted again.

Clarke turned to her. "Trust me," she whispered, slowly prying the gun from Kat's hands. "I've got a plan." She echoed the words Kat had said to her before their fake-turned-real fight and Kat nodded, releasing the gun. Clarke took a preparatory breath and took a few steps towards the guards. "Alright," she said in a calm voice. "We give up. Don't shoot."

"Drop the gun, Clarke."

"Whatever you say. Catch," she cried, tossing Kat's gun in the air. While the guards were distracted with the gun flying towards them, Clarke spun on her heel, sprinting back towards Kat and grabbing her arm to pull her over the edge. The sound of a gun being fired resounded throughout the tunnel and Kat felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. The force of Clarke's pull sent her spiraling through the air, free falling as it ripped her arm out of Clarke's grip. Kat didn't have time to scream in fear before she was slammed into the water, the breath knocked from her lungs. She fought to stay conscious as she was tossed and pulled around underwater, but her vision must have gone dark for a few seconds.

When she opened her eyes again, she was still underwater, the cold seeping through her clothes and keeping her awake. Chest burning for air, Kat winced as she struggled to kick, feeling clumsy and uncoordinated as she quickly began to panic.

Too late, she remembered that she couldn't swim.

She had no idea where the surface was, but she could feel something solid underneath her feet so she used that to push herself up, kicking desperately. She breaks the surface and takes a large gasp of air only to be pulled back under. Water entered into her mouth, making her choke and lose even more oxygen. Her lungs burned for air, her eyes wide with fear and she struggled to break the surface again to take one more quick breath.

She slipped under again almost immediately, flailing in panic. She saw the blue sky disappear as the stream carried her away. Her chest wanted to expand, she wanted so badly to take a breath and the fear of knowing that she couldn't made her want to sob. _I'm going to die_, her brain thought at some point and the panic slowly began to ebb away. A strange feeling of calm began to spread through her as she broke through the surface one last time. _You're a fighter Kat, I refuse to let you give up_. Clarke's words echoed through her head and she gritted her teeth, trying to fight even though she felt so tired.

She caught sight of a brown object floating ahead of her and used her remaining strength to swim towards it. She realized it was a floating log and Kat draped her upper body across it. Retching and coughing up water, Kat gasped for air, her entire body trembling. She didn't want to be in this water for a moment longer but all she could do was reach up to her shoulder and pull something out of it.

It was a tranquilizer dart. Slurring a curse under her breath, Kat lost the battle to stay conscious.

When Kat blearily opened her eyes again, the first thing she noticed was that her entire body felt stiff and she was trembling from the cold. Her upper body was still wrapped around the log, which had drifted ashore, her legs and waist still in the water. Grimacing, Kat pulled herself out of the water and stood on shaky legs, looking around. Never again was she going in the water. That terrible feeling of suffocation, of the water in her lungs as she drowned – she shuddered just thinking about it.

She had no idea where she was and there was no sign of Clarke or Anya anywhere. By the light in the sky, multiple hours had passed and it was now early evening. Even before she had been locked up on the Ark, Kat had been lousy at Earth skills and had no idea which direction to go.

Unfortunately, the choice was made for her. A twig snapped on her right and she whipped her head around to see a group of three reapers emerging from the trees. They stared at each other in surprise for a moment before the reapers growled low in their throats, pulling out their weapons and letting out loud war cries as they advanced towards her.

Kat stood there, defenseless, her eyes wide and her brain still not working properly, unable to process what was happening. Bellamy's ghost flickered to the left of the grounders, a complete look of panic and horror on his face as he took in the scene. "What are you doing?" He shouted, waving his arms to get her attention. "Run, Kat! Run!"

Kat stumbled backwards in the other direction as the reapers drew closer and ran for her life.

* * *

**Author's Note: Ahhhh another cliffhanger! You guys should know by now that I'm a big fan of writing them. Any opinions about what's going to happen next?**

**Shout out to those reviewers that keep calling Octavia Kat's sister-in-law! It makes me smile every time :)**

**Just out of curiosity, does anybody have any quality Bellamy/OC stories that they've read and could recommend to me? Not AU's, just stories based on the show – I know there aren't many out there, but I would love to give them a read!**

**Sorry for the random comments! Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought! :)**


	4. You're Lying

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I'm blown away by all your responses. Special thanks for Dannylionthe1st for beta-ing this chapter. **

**I'm really quite proud of this chapter and I hope you guys like it as much as I do. Don't forget to review!**

* * *

Chapter 4: You're Lying

Branches whipped past Kat's head as she sprinted through the forest, leaping over logs and dodging trees. She could hear the reapers behind her, making unintelligible but very frightening noises. Whatever was in that tranquilizer dart must still be in her system, because her brain couldn't seem to focus properly, making her clumsier and less coordinated than she usually was. Her breath was coming out in labored pants, her chest tight and her legs felt heavy and wooden.

Everything that happened next seemed to happen in slow motion.

Her foot caught on something and she fell, sprawling on the ground and knocking the wind out of herself. She winced, drawing in a raspy breath, her fingers clenched in the dirt. "Now is not the time to be lying down, Katerina!" Bellamy roared, a vision of him kneeling in front of her with a furious look on his face. "Get your fucking ass up!"

"Annoying pain in my ass," Kat grunted, a snarl on her face as she dug deep, pushing herself up off the floor with her hands and feet just as one of the reapers reached her. She dodged their hands, grimacing as they brushed the back of her shoulders. Kat started running again, pumping her arms and legs as fast as she could. Movement caught the corner of her eye and she glanced over to see one of the reapers running on her right, moving to caught her off up ahead.

She abruptly changed direction, moving away from the reaper with one eye the size of her fist, but she was only running for another minute or so when she saw another reaper running on her left. Realization slammed into her, making her gasp out a curse.

They were herding her. With one reaper behind her and two on either side, they could direct her to wherever they wanted her to go.

She frantically tried to come up with an escape route but she only made it about another five feet before skidding to a halt, her eyes wide as they darted around. Three more reapers had joined the three that had originally been chasing her and were waiting near a thick wall of trees.

Panic welled in her throat, threatening to overwhelm her but she did her best to keep it at bay. _Six on one. How am I supposed to get out of this? _ She stayed on the balls of her feet, turning in a slow circle as she tried to keep an eye on all her enemies at once. She saw flashes of grotesque grins, disfigured faces, bone necklaces and long swords and machetes.

_Step one…_ she thought, trying to think this out rationally.

"… get a weapon," the ghost of Bellamy finished, standing just behind her shoulder.

She quickly scanned the reapers, passing over knives, axes and weapons she didn't recognize and paused when she saw the reaper with the gigantic eye holding a short sword. Gotcha. Moving quickly, trying to use the element of surprise, Kat attacked the reaper instead of waiting for them to make the first move. It definitely caught him off guard because he was delayed in raising his weapon, bringing it down towards her only as she reached him and giving her ample time to duck. Keeping her movements fluid, she pivoted around to the reaper's open side and landed a punch to his open side.

The reaper grunted, but she obviously didn't inflict as much pain as she had hoped because he didn't even flinch, just backhanded her with his free hand. The blow hit her hard, making her fall onto her side. Kat gritted her teeth, accepting the pain as she staggered to her feet again. These guys were stronger than usual – she would have to avoid being hit again if she was going to make it out of this alive.

A different reaper approached her and she ducked under his fist, kneeing him in the gut and making him double over. She spun on the spot, kicking out and hitting the first reaper in the wrist causing his sword to fly out of his hand. The sword landed in front of a third reaper. Him and Kat made eye contact for a brief moment before they both moved. Kat dived forward for the sword, grasping it by the handle and somersaulting forward, bringing the point up just as the reaper was bringing his ax down towards her. The blade went straight through the reapers stomach and out the other side. The reaper went down to his knees, a strange noise coming from his throat as Kat pulled the sword out again with a snarl on her face.

Things happened very quickly after that.

Either enraged by the loss of their man or shocked by Kat's actions, their tactics changed. Two reapers engaged her as soon as she stood, forcing her to lift her sword quickly to block them, sending blood arcing through the air. She backpedaled, trying to put some distance between them as she desperately tried to deflect their blows.

She was losing though, and quickly this time. She didn't know if they had been toying with her before, but they certainly weren't playing games anymore. The first blow she received was a punch to her side. The next was a thin cut down her left arm, ripping through her shirt and jacket and causing her to hiss at the fiery pain it caused. A blow to her leg, then her shoulder made her stumble.

Panic and fear caused Kat to forget her training. With a shout of fury, Kat whipped her sword around a wide circle. It was a stroke of luck, really. A reaper had just stepped in her path and the edge of her blade caught him in the throat, showering her with blood as he choked and gurgled. She was so shocked that she paused for a moment and that was all it took.

She never saw who dealt the blow, but she certainly felt it. The hilt of either a sword or an ax slammed into the side of her head, causing her to stagger sideways as white spots danced in front of her vision. She lost her balance and fell, blinking up at a blurry reaper as he knelt over her and began tying her hands with a piece of rope.

"What – what are you doing?" Kat gasped, trying to focus. "Where are you taking me?" They ignored her, talking to each other in a strange language that she didn't understand. "I won't go back there!" She cried, struggling against the reaper. "No! Get your hands off – "

There was sudden shouting throughout the forest and Kat looked around with wide eyes as a group of three grounders came out from nowhere, their swords raised and their eyes narrowed in concentration. The reapers recovered quicker than Kat had expected and the sounds of yells and swords clashing filled Kat's ears. She kept one eye on the fighting as she crawled over to where she had dropped the sword she had stolen. Holding the hilt awkwardly between her knees so it would stay in place, Kat rubbed the rope frantically on the blade until the rope frayed and broke.

She staggered to her feet once more, sword in hand, and quickly took stock of the situation. The grounders were winning. There was only one reaper left standing. He had a hooded grounder in front of him on his knees, awkwardly holding his chest, his weapons a few feet away. The grounder raised his sword to deliver a killing blow and Kat acted. The other two grounders were too far away and wouldn't be able to get there in time. Kat leapt forward, driving the sword through the right side of his back with all the force she could muster so that the other end came out of his heart.

The reaper fell forward, wrenching the sword hilting out of Kat's exhausted grip, but she let it go, wincing and grabbing her arm as her cut burned painfully. She backpedaled warily as the grounders came over to help their hooded friend stand again before turning to face her. They were big, muscular men, though they looked relatively young. Two of them were eying her with distrust, but she couldn't see the face of the third.

While the grounders were the lesser of two evils, she wasn't stupid. She knew that most of the grounders here hated her people and she knew that she needed to choose her words carefully right now. Kat wanted to scream at the thought. Words weren't her strong point – this would go much better if Clarke were here.

"Thank you for your help," Kat called cautiously. "But I don't want to bother you any further – I can handle it from here. Soooo, I'm just going to go," she said, pointing a thumb over her shoulder and turning to leave.

"What's the matter, Sky Girl?" The hooded grounder called back. A shiver of recognition ran down Kat's spine as she slowly turned back around, puzzlement and disbelief on her face. "Don't you recognize me?" He lifted a hand and pushed back his hood.

It was Arian. He looked paler than usual and there was pain lurking behind his eyes, which she suspected was from the recent fight, but otherwise he was standing there, right in front of her. Same partially shaved head and dreaded ponytail. Same brown eyes and playful, mischievous smirk.

Fuck. Was she hallucinating him too?

"Ari?" She gasped, eyes wide with astonishment. She took an unconscious step forward, then paused, shaking her head. "I – but – you – " She stopped, mouth wide. "You're alive! But… how?"

There was a clear vision in her head of him coughing up blood as he lay dying. Was her vision altered by the crazy tumult of emotions that she had been feeling during the battle? Did she remember it wrong, make it seem worse than it is somehow?

One of the other grounders interrupted with an angry, "Enough." He drew his sword again and Kat tensed as he started in her direction.

Ari's hand shot out, grasping his arm and halting him. Eyes narrowed, he spoke in a language that Kat didn't understand. "Chit ste yo dula op?" _What are you doing?_

The grounder yanked his arm away. "Ste Masta op hedon." _Following orders._

"Chon hedon?" _Whose orders?_

"Ogeda skaikru ste beda hon daun fou heda." _All Sky People are to be brought before the Commander._

"Ari?" Kat asked warily, her voice higher than she would have liked as the grounder marched over to her and grabbed her arm. She tried to tug hers away but he just tightened his grip. "What's going on?" She didn't like the obvious tension between the two grounders. It didn't bode well for her.

"No!" Ari shouted, his arm stretched towards her as the grounder raised his sword. "Hod op!" _Stop!_ He moved in Kat's direction but it was too late.

Before Kat could move or even blink, the grounder brought the hilt of the sword down on Kat's head for the second time that day. This time, however, Kat lost the battle to stay conscious. The last thing she saw as the grounder lifted her over his shoulder was a furious Arian, shouting words that made no sense to her muddled brain.

* * *

When began to regain consciousness, she didn't have to open his eyes to know that hours had passed. It was the kind of unconsciousness where you felt even more pain than before you passed out. She stayed still, opening up all her senses in an attempt to figure out where she was. She was lying on a cold, hard floor, a smell of damp decay invading her nostrils. Her mouth felt dry and there was the lingering taste of blood – she must have bit her tongue when the grounder had hit her.

Unable to face opening her eyes at the moment, Kat winced, lifting a hand to her head and pausing when she realized that chains were holding her hands together. Definitely in a cell. She hissed a breath between her teeth when she found a huge, bloody lump on her head. "Mother fucking piece of shit grounders," Kat grunted under her breath. "Useless, good for nothing Neanderthals."

"Watch your language, Katerina Hale," an amused voice chided half-heartedly.

"Open your eyes, kiddo. You're safe, for now." _Kiddo_. She knew that voice. There was only one person who called her that from the time she was a little girl, complete with a condescending pat on the head.

Her eyes snapped open and she realized with shock, confusion and mounting horror that she was staring up into the faces of Marcus Kane and Thelonious Jaha.

* * *

**Bellamy's POV**

Bellamy paced back and forth on top of the cliff, his hands on his hips and his shoulders tense. The girl's cries for help were echoing in one ear and in the other, an impatient Finn complete with wide, crazy eyes was going on about how they couldn't stop to help this girl.

"Look around you, Finn!" Bellamy stopped, gesturing around them. "We're standing in the middle of a mass graveyard! She might be the only survivor from this part of the Ark – "

"If we stop now, our friends might be dead by the time we get there!" Finn shouted back.

"Would you really be able to live with yourself if we leave this girl and she dies when we could have saved her?" Bellamy asked him, narrowing his eyes. "If there's any way that we can help her – "

"We don't have time – "

"I know, Finn, I know!" Bellamy roared, the anger and frustration boiling over and he gripped both hands in his hair in agitation. "Believe me, I hate this as much as you do! But you're not thinking clearly! We have rope and we can help. Clarke would stop and help her and you know it – "

Finn interrupted Bellamy with a shove, a murderous look on his face. "Don't you dare try and use her against me – "

"Uh, guys?" Murphy called in a drawling voice over his shoulder. "Looks like we're taking that break after all."

They both looked over to see both Murphy and Monroe leaning over the side of the cliff and looking down. Sterling was nowhere to be seen but Bellamy noticed the red rope around a rock and drew his own conclusions. Sure enough when he hurried over to look, he saw Sterling making his way down the side of the cliff with the other end of the rope tied around his waist.

"Dammit!" Finn yelled in fury, spinning around and kicking a rock to relieve some of his aggression.

Bellamy ignored him, his eyes on Sterling's progress. He watched, barely breathing as Sterling finally made it down to the girl. Apparently, the girl's name was Mel and her and Sterling were in the same class up on the Ark, which was why he went to save her on his own without waiting for permission.

He had hooked an arm around Mel's waist and almost had a secure grip on her when the rock beneath her foot collapsed, causing her to scream and leaving her dangling by her arms as Sterling swung a few feet away, his feet scrabbling to find purchase. Bellamy's heart leapt into his throat, his muscles twitching even though he knew there was nothing he could do from here.

Sterling moved closer to Mel once more his arm outstretched, their fingers barely touching. There was a sudden noise from behind them and Bellamy looked around, his eyes widening in horror. "The rope!" He yelled, diving for it. He was too late. The end of it slipped through his fingers and his body went cold as he watched Sterling fall, his scream echoing around them until they couldn't see him anymore.

"Sterling!" Monroe shouted, her voice cracking with emotion. Her face crumpled, her breathing heavy and her hands on her head as she walked away, overwhelmed.

Kneeling on the ground over the cliff, Bellamy kept his eyes on Mel who was now openly sobbing, her arms trembling from the effort of holding herself up. "Hold on Mel!" He shouted. "Focus on me! You can do this."

For some reason, the girl reminded him of Kat. She was tanner than Kat, her eyes were brown instead of gray and Kat wouldn't be crying in fear – but her build was the same and her hair was the same color.

"No I can't!" The girl wailed.

"Yes you can!" He insisted.

"I'm not strong! Stubborn, maybe," she argued in a high voice. _Kat was stubborn._ He shook his head to clear it. That was not Kat down there. Kat was still missing and it wouldn't help him to look for her in other people.

"Then be stubborn and hold on for a little longer! I'm not going to let you die, you hear me?" He waited until she nodded shakily and Bellamy stood, turning around to converse with the others.

"We're out of rope," Finn said testily.

"Then we make a new one," Bellamy growled, so completely down with his attitude.

"If anything happens to our friends when we could have – "

"We don't know if we can save our friends!" Bellamy snapped loudly, talking over Finn. A sharp pain stabbed through his chest at his next words. "For all we know they may be dead already. But what we do know is we can save this one girl."

Finn was shaking his head, but it was Monroe who spoke next. "Sterling was one of us," she said in a shaky, but determined voice. "And she was his friend. I'm in."

"How do we do it?" Murphy asked, surprising Bellamy by being the next to volunteer.

"We make new rope from the wreckage. We find wires, seatbelts… anything." Murphy and Monroe nodded and got to work at once.

The dark look was still lingering behind Finn's eyes as he glared at Bellamy. "I hope we're right about this. Because if you aren't… our friends' blood is on your hands. Kat's death will be your fault."

"Walk away, Finn," Bellamy said in a low, dangerous voice. "Before I knock you on your ass."

Bellamy watched him walk away, the guilt and anxiety eating at him. If he was wrong… his stomach twisted in fear. He didn't even want to think about the consequences.

Pushing Kat to the side for now, their group worked hard to create another rope and they were finished ten minutes later. It wasn't even a question that Bellamy was the one to go down this time. The look on his face must have said it all, because no one argued with his decision. He carefully tied the seat belt contraption around his waist and under both his legs. The other three held his weight and slowly lowered him until his was level with Mel.

Ignoring his pounding heart, Bellamy carefully inched over, sliding his arm around Mel's waist. "I've got you. Put your arms around my neck." She balked at the idea, shaking her head in fear. "I've got you, okay? I've got you."

"Okay," she breathed, whimpering as she let go of her grip and put her arm's around Bellamy's neck.

"I've got her!" Bellamy cried, a cramp growing in his left hand as he gripped the rope as tightly as I could. "Pull us up!"

"Don't worry, Bellamy," Murphy grunted sarcastically. "I won't drop you." If Bellamy wasn't so concerned with holding onto both the rope and Mel, he would have snapped something back at him. They were rising steadily, slowly, but steadily, until something happened at the top of the cliff and Bellamy and Mel dropped about five feet.

Mel shrieked and Bellamy gritted his teeth as he struggled to hold on. "What the hell is going on up there?" He roared, sweat dripping down his face.

"Hang on!" Finn yelled in a strained voice.

The next second – "Grounders!" Monroe yelled.

"How many?" Bellamy asked, wishing he was up there and could see what's going on.

"Don't know!" Finn answered. Gunfire echoed down the cliff. "Aim for the trees! They're in the trees!" He could hear grunts as they struggled to lift them back up. Bellamy and Mel dropped a couple more feet as Monroe let out a strangled yell of pain.

Just when he thought they weren't going to make it, a loud horn sounded and with it, the gunfire ceased. They were slowly lifted back up the side of the cliff and when they reached the top, Bellamy helped Mel up first, a guiding hand on her back so she didn't fall backwards. With the last remaining strength left in his body, Bellamy pulled himself up, collapsing on his stomach and panting with his eyes closed for a moment, trying to slow his heartbeat. He looked up and his gaze fell on Murphy, who was red in the face from the effort, his hands wrapped around the seat belt multiple times. There was a defensive look on his face, but Bellamy acknowledged the effort it had taken to save him and Mel with a nod of thanks.

"We need to take cover from the fog," Finn warned, breaking through his moment of relief.

"Right," Bellamy nodded, struggling to his feet and looking around. Where the fuck were they going to take cover?

"Bellamy!" The voice was like a cool splash of water on a hot day. It was his childhood, his responsibility, one of the most important things in his life. His sister.

He looked up and sure enough she was standing there, the top of her hair done up in braids, a sword across her back and a look of amazement on her face. In that moment, standing there, she looked older and more mature than the last time he had seen her. It made him wonder just what she had been through since they had parted.

"Octavia," he breathed in disbelief, his pains and worries momentarily forgotten. He walked towards her, feeling like he was in a daze and roughly pulled her into his arms. She hugged him tightly, really letting him know that she was actually here, alive and well. He pulled back slightly, his hands on either side of her face as a wide smile crossed his own. "You're okay," he whispered, reassuring himself. She nodded and he pressed his lips to her forehead, closing his eyes as gratitude and relief and overwhelmed him.

"Where's Kat?" Octavia asked, pulling away and looking around. "Is she with you?" Bellamy must have flinched in time with the pain in his chest at the mention of her name because Octavia froze, a frown crossing her face as she examined him closely. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Kat's missing," he told her softly, crossing his arms to hold the pain in his chest. "They all are."

"Missing?" She repeated in bewilderment. "What happened, Bellamy? Start from the beginning."

"I don't know what happened," he said, wiping a hand over his face in distress. "The plan was to get everyone inside the dropship and then fry the grounders with the rockets. Finn and I were fighting grounders and couldn't get inside in time, but we knew what the plan was so we split up and ran for it. I ran into Sterling and Monroe and we found Finn captured by a grounder. We were saving him when we met up with Kane and Abby Griffin from the Ark. By the time we got back to the dropship, the entire place was a graveyard and there was no sign of any of our people."

"So where are they?"

"We think the grounders took them – "

Monroe stifled a groan to their right and they both looked around. They shared a glance. _We'll finish this later,_ it said. Octavia went over to help Monroe pull out the arrow in her leg and bind her wound and Bellamy headed over to Mel, taking an old shirt of his pack and fashioning a sling for her.

"Thank you," Mel murmured with wide, trusting eyes as he worked. "Thank you for saving my life."

Feeling slightly uncomfortable under her gaze, he just nodded, brushing it off. She smiled at him, and though she was bruised and exhausted she was alive and he knew he had made the right choice.

"Nice horn," Murphy said, picking it up and inspecting it. "What happened to your boyfriend?"

Octavia's jaw clenched, grief and pain entering her eyes as she snatched the horn from his hands and got back to work tying the bandage on Monroe's leg. "He's gone," she said in a cold voice.

Bellamy's gaze softened, sympathy and understanding flooding through him as he headed toward her. "I'm sorry, O," he whispered, putting his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him over her shoulder and a moment of shared understanding passed between them. They both could relate to how the other was feeling.

"The grounders will be back," Octavia told him, shrugging his hand away. "We need to go."

"Yes we do," Finn agreed darkly, looking up from where he was obsessively examining the map that the one eyed grounder drew.

He walked over to Finn, feeling desperately torn. The leader in him knew what the next, appropriate step was. But the rebellion in him, the one that wanted to find Kat more than anything else, was itching to go trekking through the forest with Finn in order to keep looking. He wanted it so bad that his muscles ached as if he was going to start running at any moment.

"They're both injured," Bellamy said slowly, reluctant even though he knew he was making the right choice. "I need to get them back to camp."

"I know," Finn said, handing Bellamy a copy of the map.

"I'll meet you as soon as I can," he promised.

"I know," Finn repeated. He nodded one last time before grabbing his pack and gun and running off into the woods. Bellamy watched him go, feeling wary and uncertain. Would he be alright out there with his current frame of mind?

"Parting," Murphy sighed dramatically, walking backwards as he followed Finn. "Such sweet sorrow."

"Where do you think you're going?" Bellamy asked annoyed.

"You know that if I go with you, they'll just lock me back up again, Bellamy," Murphy said, sounding uncharacteristically serious for once.

Making a split second impulsive decision, his mind still thinking about the fact that Murphy basically saved his life, Bellamy picked up his fun and tossed it to him. "Really?" Octavia asked in disbelief. "Is that the best idea?"

"Watch his back," Bellamy nodded, ignoring the doubts that he was feeling and that Octavia was voicing. Murphy nodded, surprise in his eyes, but turned and jogged after Finn. When he looked at Octavia, there was a disapproving look on her face that he chose to ignore. "I can't get them home without you," he told her honestly.

"Of course you can't," she agreed. "But as soon as they're home, we're going out to find Kat."

"Absolutely," Bellamy said with conviction. "Let's go."

* * *

**Clarke's POV**

The pain that Clarke always seemed to be in was beginning to become a constant in her life. She wasn't a fan of it, really, but it was a good reminder that she was, somehow, still alive through all this. She blinked a few times, frowning when she didn't recognize where she was. The last thing she remembered was trekking through the forest with Anya, both of them continually vying for the upper hand. Anya had it at first when she bashed Clarke in the head with a rock and tied her hands together. Clarke took it from her when she used the tranquilizer dart to subdue her. Then there was the big fight by the dropship and then they had finally, finally worked out a deal to help each other get their people out of Mount Weather. All of that had gone to shit when the Ark guards shot and killed Anya. Clarke would have to try some other way.

She looked down, groaning softly at the pain in her muscles and noticed her mother sleeping with her head on the table Clarke was resting on. She looked exhausted and had bags under her eyes, but she was a lot more alive than Clarke had thought she was. Gratitude and relief swept through her. Despite the fact that she wasn't on the best terms with her mom, she was immensely glad she wasn't dead.

Abby must have sensed that she was awake because her eyes opened and she sat up, smiling immediately when she realized Clarke was awake. As she moved, Clarke's eyes fell onto the council pin on her mother's jacket and she frowned. "I thought you got thrown off the council."

"Oh this?" She looked down. "It's a Chancellor's pin."

"You?" Clarke asked, raising her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Thelonious didn't make it," Abby told her, her mouth tightening. "And Marcus left two days ago to try to make peace with the grounders to get you and the others back."

"I told you the grounders don't have us – " She froze as an awful thought struck her. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About ten hours – " Clarke groaned in pain as she struggled to sit up and get out of bed. "Hey, slow down, Clarke! It's too soon, you need to rest."

Clarke locked eyes with her mother, trying to convey the urgency that she was feeling. "No, we need to move against Mount Weather. Where's Kat? Did she make it back yet?"

"Kat as in Katerina Hale?" Her mom repeated in confusion. "She's not here – "

"Shit!" Clarke swore, jumping down from the table and pulling her pants back on. Her mother threw her a disapproving look at her language, but Clarke shrugged it off – Kat must be rubbing off on her. "How many guards are here? Where are Finn and Bellamy?"

"Clarke please!" Her mother insisted, looking concerned. "You need to rest – "

"I don't need to rest," Clarke answered impatiently, tying her boots on. "I'm fine. And I don't need you to protect me, either. What I need is to save my friends."

Major Bryne strode into the room. "Ma'am. There's movement in the north woods."

"Grounders?" Abby asked quickly.

"I don't think so," Major Byrne shook her head, an excited look in her eye. Abby followed her out of the room, Clarke close on her heels. It might be Kat out there, and she was going to whether her mother liked it or not. Especially if the guards were in a shoot first ask questions later mood.

Clarke exited the tent and looked around in shock when she noticed Raven sitting outside. "Hi!" She gasped, a wide smile crossing her face as Raven slowly stood.

"I've been waiting out here all night!" Raven grinned, pulling Clarke into a tight hug. "Your mom said you needed to rest and wouldn't let me wake you."

Clarke rolled her eyes at that and pulled away. She froze, looking down in shock and horror when something caught her eye. Raven's entire left leg was encased in some type and brace and she was leaning heavily on a crutch. When Clarke looked back up at her, mouth slightly open, Raven looked away, jaw working. "Raven," she breathed, at a loss as to what to say. She knew she had been shot in the back, and it must have been her own mother who did the surgery. Did something go wrong? Or was the bullet too difficult to retrieve? "I…"

"It sucks," Raven interrupted, shrugging, appearing almost careless, like she was just brushing her very serious injury off to the side. "But I'm dealing with it."

"What – "

"The bullet was pressing against my spine," Raven explained in a cool voice. "Your mom took it out as best she could but she said there was significant nerve damage in my left leg." She shrugged again. "It could have been a lot worse, I suppose."

"Open the gate!" On of the guards shouted. There was a loud buzzing noise and Clarke looked over as the gates opened, pushing up on her toes to see who it was.

When she saw who walked through the gates, looking tired and dejected but very much alive, relief surged through her body, making her weak in the knees. "Bellamy," she breathed softly, every instinct in her body wanting to run to him. She looked around at Raven.

"Go," Raven said quickly with a smile. "I'll catch up."

Though she felt back about leaving Raven behind when she was so obviously upset that she couldn't keep up, Clarke was just so damn happy to see Bellamy and even Octavia that she didn't think anything of it.

Clarke took off running. He was here, alive. After telling Kat over and over again that Bellamy was alive, she was almost unable to believe that he was standing just a few feet from her. So many different feelings were running through her and she wished more than anything that Kat was here to see him.

The other half of her was happy to see him not only because he had somehow become a friend, but he was also a fellow leader. Now she wouldn't have to soldier the burden of the lives of their friends alone. Bellamy would be on her side and he would help her come up with a plan. She wasn't alone anymore.

He didn't see her coming and for that she was grateful. So when she reached him and threw her arms around his neck, he froze for a full three seconds in shock and surprise before registering who she was and wrapping his arms tightly around her. She smiled up at the sky when he choked out a chuckle of disbelief.

"Now there's something I thought I'd never see," Octavia murmured in a voice full of sarcasm and happiness.

Bellamy tightened his arms for another moment before pulling away. His lips were tilted up into a smile, but Clarke could already see the question in his eyes as he searched her face. In an effort to delay the inevitable, Clarke turned to Octavia and pulled her into a hug. "I'm glad you're okay," Octavia whispered in her ear.

"You too," Clarke told her, pulling away and examining her new hairstyle. She was about to ask her about it when Bellamy interrupted.

"How many are with you?" He asked urgently. She knew what he was really asking. _Is Kat with you?_ Clarke watched his eager eyes search the camp behind her, shifting unconsciously on his feet. There were purple bags under his eyes and he looked exhausted. Worried, frightened and exhausted.

"She's not here," Clarke told him softly, her mood dimming as disappointment crossed his face, his expression shuttering. Raven had reached them at this point, watching and listening to everything that was going on.

"Well then where is she?" Octavia asked hotly, narrowing her eyes in frustration. "What's going on Clarke, where have you been?"

Clarke sighed, preparing herself for a million questions. She pushed away the urgency to do – they deserved to know what happened first. "The grounders never took us," she told them, watching the surprise and confusion play across their faces. "It was the Mountain Men, a group of people who survived the bombings 97 years ago and have been living in Mount Weather this whole time. 48 of us survived the grounder attack, but only Kat and I didn't trust the Mountain Men." Bellamy breathed a small sigh of relief at the sound of her name. "They gave us food, clothes….showers. I don't blame them for wanting to stay where they felt safe."

"Why didn't you trust them?" Raven asked.

"It felt too good to be true. I just had this gut feeling that something was wrong, that they were lying to us. I think Kat just agreed with me because she doesn't trust anyone," Clarke said with a fond smile. It faded quickly. "They're fatally allergic to the radiation on the ground. When we saw one half dead guard somehow heal within the span of a couple hours, we staged a fight to get into medical. We…." She took a preparatory breath. "We found out that the Mountain Men have hundreds of grounders hidden away, put into cages until it was their turn. They hang them by their ankles and drain their blood. I think that they filter out their poisoned blood and replace it with the resistant grounder blood in order to heal them."

Horrified looks crossed their faces. "That's… that's barbaric!" Octavia exclaimed, in a disgusted voice.

Clarke nodded. "Kat and I found Anya in one of the cages. We freed her and found a way out through the mining tunnels. The only way out was to jump down hundreds of feet into water. I passed out when I hit it and when I woke up Anya had me as her prisoner and Kat was nowhere to be found."

"So she's out there somewhere, wandering around in the woods?" Bellamy asked angrily, a muscle in his jaw working.

"Kat can take care of herself, Bell," Octavia tried to reassure him, though she didn't look reassured herself.

His body was tense. "She can fight, yeah, but what if she runs into Mountain Men or grounders? She can't fight multiple people at the same time, she's not invincible!"

"Maybe she saw the flare that we set off – " Raven tried.

"And if she didn't?" He asked harshly, raising an eyebrow.

Clarke's frown deepened. "Kat has no idea the Ark made it to the ground. She's…. different, lately. Kat was never a cheerful person, but it seems almost like she's lost the life and energy in her." Bellamy looked both devastated and murderous and she hurried on. "She was better when she had a goal in mind, but… I don't know. She probably thinks I'm alive out there, somewhere, but other than that, she must think she's on her own. She thinks you're dead, Bellamy. She thinks you're all dead."

"Fuck," Bellamy muttered, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes.

Octavia put a hand on his arm, her own eyes full of concern. "We'll find her Bellamy. I promise."

There was a moment of silence. "Where's Finn?" Clarke asked, finally voicing the question that had been burning inside her since they walked through the gates. She felt Raven shift closer as Bellamy lowered his hands, looking at them with lost, bloodshot eyes.

"Out looking for you."

* * *

**Kat's POV**

Kat sat up quickly, scrambling backward with wide eyes, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her gaze jumped from Jaha to Kane and back again before darting around what appeared to be their makeshift cell. The only source of light was through a grate in the ceiling, indicating that they were underground. Tiles from 97 years ago seemed to be falling off the wall, and the floor was littered with leaves.

Her eyes flickered back to the two men watching her carefully. They both looked so much _older_ than what she remembered. "I – you – " she stammered, her jumbled brain still not working properly. Frustrated with herself, the situation she was in and the people she was stuck with, she spat, "What the _fuck_ are you two doing here?" Jaha frowned at her language again. "They said no one survived the landing."

"They?" Kane questioned, easily slipping to the authoritative role.

Kat ignored him, still stuck on her line of thought. "Did you guys come down on the Ark?"

"No," Jaha spoke up, looking strangely proud. I came down to the ground in a missile."

Kat just grew more confused. "A miss – "

"Focus, kiddo," Kane interrupted, sitting forward. "Who told you no one survived the landing? Where have you been? And where are the other kids that were with you?"

Kat crossed her arms, irritation rushing through her veins as she glared at him. "Do _not_ call me that, Kane. I'm no longer the shy little girl trailing after her father and trying to win his affections. You can't just pat me on the head, tell me my daddy's working and then pass me off to a babysitter." Jaha's eyebrows were slowly raising and Kane looked taken aback. "And for your information," Kat continued in a raised voice, not caring what she was saying at this point. Not caring that these two used to be her superiors. "I stopped being a child when my mother died and my father started beating me. But the rest of us stopped being children the day you and the rest of the council decided it was a good idea to send us down here to die."

"There was a chance – " Jaha tried to say.

Kat wasn't having any of it. "You sent us down here to die. You were running out of oxygen on the Ark and we were expendable. You have no idea what you've been through down here," she snapped, grey eyes flashing, the lives of all the people that they had lost playing in a slideshow through her head. "We have had to learn how to find our own food and build our own shelter. We've had to learn how to get along with each other when all of us were criminals and most of us had been unfairly treated with the lives we'd lived on the Ark. We've been attacked by a race of people who were extremely adept at fighting and knew their surroundings more proficiently than we did. We've been speared, we've been shot with arrows, we've been tortured and some of us," her voice broke slightly. "Some of us have become murderers. We lost our innocence the day you sent us down here. Fifty-two. We've lost fifty-two of our own," her throat burned as Bellamy suddenly appeared in the corner of the room, watching her with that familiar smirk. "Which means that including myself and one other that I got separated from, less than half of us are still alive and they're all locked away in Mount Weather."

"Mount Weather?" Jaha questioned as Kane sat there with a blank look on his face. Was that guilt lurking behind his eyes?

"Yeah, apparently you were wrong and everybody and their mother freakin survived down here," Kat muttered, shifting with a wince.

"Are they prisoners?" Jaha pressed, ignoring her sarcasm.

"Not when we escaped," Kat shook her head. "Clarke Griffin and I," she explained at the confused look on Jaha's face. "But the things they were doing to those grounders…. I don't know how long that will last."

"What were they – "

"Hang on," Kane interjected, holding up a hand a thoughtful expression on his face. "You said the last of your group was locked away in Mount Weather."

"Right," Kat nodded, testily, looking at a point somewhere over his shoulder. He reminded her too much of the life she used to live, the one where she felt nothing but fear and anxiety. She wasn't pleased with the reminder.

"That's not exactly true."

Narrowing her eyes, she slowly moved her gaze to Kane's face to see that he was looking at her with a calm expression. "What are you talking about?" She growled through clenched teeth.

He watched her closely, eying her with an almost clinical look. "We found survivors by the dropship. Six of them to be exact."

"You're lying!" Kat snapped, surging to her feet and pacing back and forth with her fists clenched by her sides. "I was there, I saw them – "

"You saw them die?" Kane asked, already knowing the answer. He paused, confusion written on his face. "Why are you getting angry? You should be happy to know that more of your friends are alive."

"He who has never hoped can never despair," Jaha whispered softly, understanding in his eyes.

"What?" Kat and Kane said together.

"Kat's convinced herself that her friends are dead. Sometimes that's easier than hoping they are still alive and then being heartbroken when they are not."

"Don't psychoanalyze me," Kat snapped, pointing a finger at him. "You don't know anything about me." Jaha raised his eyebrows and his hands in a defensive gesture and kept his mouth shut. They watched Kat continue to pace, brow furrowed. Her heart was pounding a frantic rhythm in her chest, feeling strange and light-headed. Bellamy's ghostly presence in the corner of the room drew her attention. She wanted so badly to push away the small seed of hope that was growing inside her, but the question was out before she could take it back. "Who?" She asked in a strained voice. "Who survived?"

It was the question Kane was waiting for. "We found Raven Reyes and John Murphy inside the dropship. Raven was shot, but Abby performed spinal surgery and she's going to pull through. We also found Sterling and Monroe, Finn Collins and," Kat waited, for the name, hardly daring to breathe and her pulse roared in her ears. "Bellamy Blake."

The world tilted dangerously and Kat had to put a hand on the wall to steady herself. She desperately tried to take in a breath but there didn't seem to be enough air in their prison. Eyes wide and face pale, she put a hand on her chest, pushing their helping hands away, looking at the ghost of Bellamy. _Was he… could he be alive?_ As the thought ran through her head, the image of Bellamy smiled and then faded into nothingness.

"Octavia?" Kat croaked, still staring at the spot. "Did you find her?" When they didn't immediately answer Kat snapped her head around in a panic, thinking the worse. Anger followed instantly at the looks of confusion on their faces. "Octavia Blake," she snapped. "The girl you threw into the Skybox for the crime of being born."

"No, we didn't find her," he said delicately, making her heart sink. "He mentioned you, you know," Kane continued quietly, hovering near her in case she needed their help. She was suddenly unable to breathe again.

"Shut up," Kat gasped, finally managing to draw in a proper breath. There was a loud roaring sound in her ears and she felt so off balance – she didn't know what to think, feel or believe anymore.

"He's very anxious to find you – "

"Shut up!" She yelled, taking a step forward and pushing his chest with both hands, making him stumble backwards. She was shaking with both fury and fear, her grey eyes narrowed. "Just shut your fucking mouth, Kane or I swear I will hurt you – "

The doors to the cell suddenly opened and as Kat whirled around in surprise, she caught sight of the grounder who had knocked her out coming toward her and before she knew it, there was a black hood being thrown over her head. She struggled as him and another grounder grabbed her arms. "Hey! Where are you taking me? Let go!" There was shouting and the sounds of a scuffle behind her as Kane and Jaha tried to intervene on her behalf, but they must have been stopped because Kat was swept out of the cell.

There was no way to see anything out of the hood, but she kept her eyes wide anyway as the grounders pulled and pushed her up the stairs, their grip tight on her upper arm. Although she didn't want to, Kat shoved the thought of Bellamy being alive to the side for the moment. Her current situation was the priority.

Heart pounding with the uncertainty of where the grounders were taking her, Kat kept her body tense and prepared, ready for whatever they were going to throw at her. She was expecting to be brought to some log where they were going to chop her head off with some medieval machete or to be thrown into a pit with some radioactive man eating snakes or something.

So when they finally stopped and the grounder pulled off the hood, Kat was surprised to not only find herself in a large tent, but to be brought in front of a young grounder woman who was sitting on some sort of throne made out of tree branches. Her eyes darted around quickly, taking in her surroundings. Ari was standing to the woman's right a curious mixture of anxiety mixed in with the twinkle in his eyes. To her left stood a woman with dark brown skin and eyes, short brown hair and an intimidating, distrustful stare.

Kat's gaze was drawn back to the woman on the throne. She was young, maybe only a few years older than Kat herself. Her hair was pulled back off her face in braids and there was tribal like war paint surrounding her eyes. The expression in them was emotionless and her body was relaxed and at ease.

Kat tilted her head to the side, the corner of her mouth lifting. "So are you the grounder queen?" Kat asked, raising an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to bow, or curtsy or something?"

The angry woman grabbed the hilt of her sword at the tone in Kat's voice. "Teik ai tich op – " _Allow me to teach – _

The woman on the throne's expression didn't change, but she did casually hold up a hand, silencing her at once. "Who are you?" She asked in a cool voice.

Kat's eyes flickered to Ari and he gave her a warning look. Struggling to hold back her natural resistance to any type of authority, Kat smoothed out her face into a blank expression and answered, "Kat Hale." She fought with herself for a moment. "Who are you?"

"I am Lexa, Commander of the 12 clans. How is it that you came to be wandering alone in our territory?"

"My friend and I head just escaped from Mount Weather where we were taken after… you know," Kat explained awkwardly, inwardly wincing. It was probably a stupid idea to mention the battle where she had personally killed this woman's people. "Actually we escaped with another grou – uhhh, one of your people, Anya."

The tension in the room went up tenfold. Sitting forward in her chair, Lexa narrowed her eyes. "You were with Anya? Where is she? What's happened to her?"

"I – I don't know. We were separated during the escape."

Lexa sat back slowly, disappointment flashing in her eyes as she settled back into her emotionless state. "You were heading in the opposite direction of your camp. I will ask you again. What were you doing in our territory?"

Kat froze, her mouth partially open. "Camp?" She repeated, weakly.

Lexa frowned. "Yes. Your camp."

Kat's mind was whirling. Here was another confirmation that her people were alive. Her bewilderment most have shown on her face because understanding dawned in Ari's eyes. "Your people fell from the sky the same day as the battle. The structure broke into different pieces, but the people who fell closest to here survived. They've set up a camp about a day's walk west of here."

Her world tilted. The chains of her wrists rattled as Kat bent over, putting her hands on her knees and breathing deeply. "Sorry," Kat murmured, eyes shut. "I think I have a concussion from when your man hit me. Plus it's just turning out that a lot of people that I was positive was dead is turning to be alive. " Taking one last deep breath, Kat stood straight again, feeling pale and shaky. "Like you," she nodded to Ari. "I saw the arrow go through your chest when you pushed me out of the way. You were coughing up blood and you were _dying._ How is it that you're still alive let alone up and walking?"

"The arrow didn't hit anything important and we have very good healers." He grinned at her, eyes twinkling again. "Did you mourn for me, Sky Girl?"

Kat scoffed. "In your dreams – "

Lexa interrupted her, turning to Ari with wide eyes. "You sacrificed your life to save _hers_? You told me you had been hit by an arrow from the reapers – "

"I was," Ari shrugged. "I didn't lie about that."

"No, you just kept the full truth from me – "

The other woman cleared her throat, her gaze still on Kat. "What are we going to do with her?" She asked.

Lexa turned her glare away from Ari and looked at Kat once more. "You took part in the battle that killed three hundred of my people. Do you deny that you had a hand in their deaths?" She asked in a cold voice.

"No," Kat answered firmly, her grey eyes hard. "I did what I had to do to survive. Your men attacked me with the intention of killing me. I just happened to kill them first. But I have never killed your men in cold blood. Do you deny that your people have speared, tortured and killed my people with no provocation whatsoever?"

"How dare you question the Commander?" The other woman snapped in a loud voice. "We were justified in all our actions – "

"Your people speared an un-armed boy during our first day here. What did he do to provoke you?" Kat challenged, crossing her arms.

"He was in our territory – "

"So you almost kill him?" She interrupted incredulously. "You know, if you and your people had attempted to contact us and explain that we had crash-landed in your territory than we could have avoided so much death and destruction. We had no control over where we landed and we had no fucking idea there was even people still alive down here! We could have shared ideas and resources and instead we lived in fear of the savages that you people made yourselves out to be."

"Kat," Ari began in a warning voice.

"What?" Kat snapped in frustration. "I'm not going to apologize Arian. I don't respond well when I'm being questioned by authority figures, especially when they're trying to decide whether to kill me or not."

"You two know each other," Lexa commented, looking between the two of them in realization.

"We met a couple weeks ago," Ari told her.

"Ari's the only reason why I don't think all grounders are mindless savages who want to kill us. Our "friendship" or whatever this is lets me believe there can be peace between us." Kat sighed. "Look I'm better with fighting than I am with words. If Clarke or Bel – " she stumbled over his name. "Someone else were here they could make their case better. All I can say is that I like living and I will fight to the death to keep it that way."

"You make your case well," Lexa told her, inclining her head.

"She killed our people! She might be here as a spy - " the other woman began in outrage.

Ari silenced her with a look, striding forward till he was standing by Kat's side. He turned to look at Lexa. "When I came upon Kat she was fighting _five_ reapers by herself. Two of them were already dead when we got there. During the fight I miscalculated a move and the reaper disarmed me. Kat stabbed him from behind. She saved my life Lexa. That can't be ignored."

Lexa was silent for a long moment, her eyes moving between them in a contemplative manner. "Here is my decision," she said, throwing the other woman a look out of the corner of her eye. "Since Arian vouches for you, I do not believe you need to be locked up any further. However, until I can be positive that you are not a threat to my people, you are not allowed to leave the village until I give you permission."

To Kat's surprise, this news was like a blow to the stomach. While she was glad she wasn't going back into the cell, she also didn't want to be stuck here. She opened her mouth to argue but stopped when Ari grabbed her arm. "Thank you," he said, inclining his head to her. He waved one of the guards over and he took the chains off her wrists.

Ari guided her quickly out of the large tent and out into the village. He only took his hand away and breathed a sigh of relief when he got to the outskirts of the village. He sent her a crooked smile. "I'm sorry about my sister. She can be a little intense sometimes."

Kat stopped in her tracks, gaping at him. "Your _sister_?" She repeated incredulously.

"Half-sister," he corrected. "Same father, different mothers."

"Wow," she murmured. "So you're like royalty I guess, then."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "No. They treat me with respect because Lexa is my sister and because I'm a decent fighter, but that's it." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I saw your Bellamy the other day – "

"What?" She whispered, peering at him with wide eyes. "What did you say?"

"The man you're with," Ari explained, looking perplexed by her reaction. "I'm still healing so it took me longer than usual to find him, but since I didn't know where you were I thought I would keep an eye on him for you – "

"So he is alive?" She asked, hating the hope that she heard in her voice. After so long of shutting it down, the hope was beginning to trickle through her veins, making her heart pound with excitement and her spirits lift. "How did he look? Is he okay? Was he injured in the fire – "

"Other than a few cuts and bruises, he seemed fine. Are you alright?" He asked in concern, reaching out to steady her as she swayed alarmingly, her lashes fluttering.

She lifted a hand to where the grounder had hit her. "I think I might have a partial concussion," she murmured again. A familiar feeling of restlessness crept over her and she took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do. Steeling herself with determination, she looked up at Ari with shining grey eyes. "I'm glad you're still alive, Ari."

"Me too," he grinned, though he looked confused by the expression on her face.

"But I'm afraid what I'm going to ask you next might get you into trouble with your sister," she told him, feeling slightly guilty. "I need your help sneaking out of your village. I need to go back to camp and see for myself if Bellamy is still alive."

* * *

**Author's Note: Ahhh lots of reunions this chapter! How do you guys feel about Arian still being alive? Did anybody see that coming? Nobody seemed to guess that Kat would end up in the grounder prison with Kane and Jaha and I was grateful for that! I like keeping you guys on your toes. **

**Side note, thank you for your story suggestions. I recently read Outside by BellaSalvatore1918 and I definitely suggest you guys read it if you haven't already!**

**GUYS. YOU GUYS. GUESS WHAT'S COMING NEXT CHAPTER **** I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself – every time I write a new chapter to this story I want to start the next one right away! Most of that is thanks to you guys. Your reactions and your kind words make me want to continue and I love that you guys are so interested in my story!**

**I'm going on vacation at the end of June, but I'm going to do my best to get the next chapter out before then so you're not waiting forever for the reunion. Fingers crossed! Last chance to tell me any ideas that you may have.**

**Don't forget to leave a review, lovely readers. Until next time!**


	5. Reunion

**Author's Note: YOU GUYS IT'S FINALLY HERE! **

**I'm so sorry for the long wait! I wasn't finished with the chapter by the time I went on vacation and this past week has just been super crazy for me. I appreciate your understanding and loved reading all your kind words about the last chapter.**

**I really hope this chapter met your expectations. I know how many of you were looking forward to this reunion and I wanted to make it perfect for all of you. Let me know how I did!**

**Thanks to Dannylionthe1st for beta-ing. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Reunion

**Kat's POV**

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Kat asked in a hushed whisper as her and Ari hurried along the edges of the villages. "This could get you in so much trouble."

"I thought you wanted to get out of here?" Ari asked, shooting her a confused look.

"I do!"

"Then why does it sound like you're trying to convince me otherwise?"

"I just want you to consider the possibility! If it's too dangerous than I can find a way out myself," Kat insisted, jogging to keep up with his longer strides. "Arian, your sister – " She froze as he swung around to stop in front of her.

"Will be fine. You're a good person, Sky Girl, I don't believe that you are a spy and I don't believe that you would hurt us." He paused, looking down at her with kind eyes and an earnest expression on his face. "I can see that you're having trouble believing, but your Bellamy is alive, Kat, and he's looking for you. Don't you want to see him again?"

To Kat's horror, her eyes welled with tears. "Of course I do," she answered in a strained voice. "More than anything."

"Then let me help you," he whispered, a small smile on his face.

Kat's heart was pounding at the possibilities, her mind already with Bellamy. "Okay," she finally nodded. "What's the plan?"

He gestured to the back door of one of the housing units in the village. "My mother Elowyn lives here. She'll be able to help."

Kat's eyes widened in alarm and she had just opened her mouth to argue when Ari slipped inside, gesturing her to follow him. Feeling extremely anxious, Kat hesitantly entered after him. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a woman standing off to the side. She was beautiful in an intimidating way, with long, braided brown hair and the same warm brown eyes as Ari.

A smile had begun to cross her face at the sight of him, her eyes lighting up, but her expression froze once Kat entered. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and without taking her gaze from Kat, began talking rapidly in a different language. Kat shoved her hands in her pockets, attempting to appear casual while her body was actually tense and prepared for any sort of action.

Her gray eyes flickered between Ari and his mother. They kept interrupting each other and while Kat could tell that his tone was respectful, his voice was firm and insistent. He must have won the argument because his mother eventually stopped talking. She crossed her arms and glared at Kat distrustfully.

Turning to Kat with an exasperated look on his face, he said, "Kat, this is my other Elowyn. Mother, this is Kat."

"Skaikru – " His mother began in a snarl.

Ari threw up his hands. "She saved my life!" His mother stopped glaring at Kat to shoot Ari a surprised look. "If Kat hadn't been there, I would be dead."

"You should not have been out there in the first place," Elowyn argued half-heartedly, giving him a piercing look. "You are not fully healed."

"It's better than lying in some bed like a helpless child," he retorted, crossing his arms. He winced as he brushed his chest wound, a sheepish look crossing his face at his mother's raised eyebrow.

"Foolish," Elowyn murmured, shaking her head. Her original protests must have disappeared because she didn't say anything else.

Ari took a deep calming breath, closing his eyes for a moment. "I'm going to gather some supplies. Are you going to help us or not?" There was a long, tense moment of silence and then – she nodded slowly. Ari's shoulders slumped with relief. "She needs new clothes and… see if you can do something with her hair." Kat raised a hand to her tangled and matted hair self-consciously. "She needs to blend in just incase she's stopped and questioned. Do the best you can. It'll be dark in a couple hours. I'll be back for you then, Sky Girl."

Kat opened her mouth and stepped forward to say who knows what but he was already gone. Swallowing heavily, Kat looked back at Elowyn, shuffling uncertainly. Elowyn eyed her critically, her face blank. "Take off your clothes."

Kat blanched. "What?" She asked, appalled, positive that she hadn't heard correctly.

"Take off your clothes," Elowyn repeated slowly.

Alarm spread through Kat as she crossed her arms protectively over her body. "There is no way in hell – "

Elowyn sighed in annoyance. "This may come as a shock to you, but we are not savages and we do _not_ smell like the hole where our waste goes." Kat frowned, resisting the urge to smell herself. Was she just insulted? "There is a tub of water behind the screen in that corner. Scrub yourself well."

Elowyn strode out of her home with a stiff back, leaving Kat to look around, feeling lost and uncertain. She cautiously walked over to the corner of the room and peeked behind the curtain to see a crude, obviously man made wooden tub. There was a bucket, an old sheet and a bar of something orange that Kat assumed was soap. Moving as quickly as she could, Kat stripped out of her clothes, wrinkling her nose as they passed over her head. Damn. She did smell.

A shudder ran through her body as she slipped into the freezing cold water. Kat almost – _almost_ – wished she had the shower systems like back in Mount Weather. Shaking those thoughts out of her head, Kat scrubbed herself with the soap, wincing the entire time. Whenever the soap would wash off, her skin would sting and prickle. It was a strange and unpleasant feeling, one that Kat wanted over with quickly.

Once she was clean, she stepped out of the tub and wrapped the towel around herself. Just as she was wondering what to do, a voice came from the other side of the curtain. "Are you about done or are you planning on spending the rest of the day in there?"

Closing her eyes and taking a deep, centering breath, Kat stepped out from behind the curtain, clutching the sheet close to her. Elowyn was standing next to a bowl of what looked like black clay. She looked Kat up and down critically. "You're too short, you won't fit into any of my clothes."

"I can wash my other – " Kat tried to say, pointing a thumb of her shoulder, but she was cut off.

"No," Elowyn said simply. She hesitated, looking torn, then turned and went over to a trunk and shuffled around in it. When she turned around, she had a pile of clothes in her hands. Kat was startled by the reverent way she held them and the heartbroken look on her face.

"Is… is something wrong?" Kat asked tentatively.

"Put these on," Elowyn told her instead. Kat slowly took the clothes, feeling extremely confused by her behavior. She paused, waiting to see if Elowyn would leave again but the older woman just raised an eyebrow expectantly. Gritting her teeth, Kat turned her back to Elowyn and awkwardly began putting the clothes on, trying to cover as much of her body as she could. This woman was judging her enough as it was, she didn't want to give her any other ammunition.

Unfortunately, as Kat was trying to slip the shirt on over her head, the sheet fell off her shoulders and exposed her back. She heard Elowyn's sharp intake of breath and hurriedly moved to pull the shirt down, but before she could Elowyn stepped forward and grabbed the shirt, examining the scars more closely.

Kat jumped as Elowyn explosively started speaking rapidly in her own language. "Where did you get these?" She demanded angrily.

Frowning in annoyance, Kat tore herself out of Elowyn's grasp and tugged her shirt down, crossing her arms and glaring at the other woman. "That's none of your business," Kat snapped harshly, feeling fed up and ready to walk out.

Before she could however, Elowyn was rolling up her sleeve until she exposed where her bicep met her shoulder. There was a long, jagged scar that disappeared into her shirt. Kat froze, quiet disbelief trickling through her. Her eyes flickered up to Elowyn's to see her watching Kat with a clenched jaw and an understanding look in her eyes. "Arian's father," she explained, seeing the confusion on Kat's face. "He was very strong and had a nasty temper," she looked away, rolling her sleeve back down. "But I would make the same decision over and over again if it would protect my son. He was my reason for living; my motivation."

Shifting on her feet, Kat nodded slowly, feeling a sudden calmness washing over her. This, unfortunately was territory that she was familiar with. "The scars are from my father," Kat told her in a blank emotionless voice, her gray eyes fixed on a point over Elowyn's shoulder." For a long time, I didn't have that reason to live. But now…." She trailed off, Bellamy's, Octavia's, Clarke's and Raven's faces flashing through her mind. "Now I think I might have found one." Flushing in embarrassment at exposing herself like this in front of a stranger, Kat fixed Elowyn with a fierce, piercing look. "I killed them, you know," she told her in a hard, cold voice. "I killed them both."

Elowyn stared at her for a moment, hiding her surprise well. She nodded firmly once, her expression grim but content. "Good." And that was all she had to say about it. "Come." She patted the makeshift chair in front of her. Kat did as she was told and they both sat in silence while Elowyn combed through Kat's hair. The silence this time, however, wasn't awkward or full of tension. Their similar past experiences seemed to have bonded them together in some sick, horrible way. They now had some sort of understanding about each other. Surprisingly, Kat felt more relaxed and at ease with her than she had before.

Kat marveled at the feeling of Elowyn's fingers flying through her hair. It was a strange moment for Kat, probably because her mother wasn't around to do these kinds of things for her, but she found that she liked the way it felt. Her eyes drifted shut as the tension slowly drained out of her body. "Where did you learn to do this?" Kat asked in a lazy voice. "Did you do Lexa's hair when she was younger?"

Elowyn's hands stilled. "No," she answered in a clipped voice, pulling Kat's hair tight with a sharp yank, making Kat wince before continuing on. "Lexa is not my daughter. Arian is related to her through his father." Kat was bewildered and wanted ask why this made her so tense and angry, but she didn't want to risk her hair getting ripped out of her head.

She fell silent again as Elowyn worked, her mind automatically jumping forward a couple hours. She didn't know much of Ari's plan to help her escape, but she did know that was heading back to camp, wherever that was. As with everything lately, doubt spread through her. What if Kane and Arian were wrong? What if Bellamy wasn't alive? Could she really live through that devastation again?

A frown crossed her face at the thought. When did she become one of _those_ girls? The girl whose happiness is dependent on a guy? Did the fact that she had become so attached to Bellamy in such a short amount of time somehow make her weak? The thought made her sick to her stomach. After everything she had been through she was damaged, sure, but she also considered herself a strong person in some ways. Surely falling in love in less than a month wasn't very common.

At some point Elowyn finished with her hair and picked up a black paint substance, instructing her to close her eyes.

Kat was lost in thought for a while, her mind going back and forth for no reason at all. It was pointless because even though she had those doubts, she knew what her decision would be. If there was even the _slightest_ chance that Bellamy was still alive, she was going back to that camp to find out for herself. She wouldn't be able to live with herself until she knew for sure.

It was probably one of the strangest feelings she could ever remember experiencing. There had been no doubt in Kat's mind that Bellamy was dead. She had accepted it – hadn't done a very good job dealing with it but she had accepted it nonetheless. And now, two people in less than a day and told her that he was alive. She couldn't figure out a reason why they would lie to her about it and slowly, she could feel herself embracing the possibility that Bellamy was actually alive. It made her feel giddy and lightheaded.

"There," Elowyn finally said, stepping back. "I'm finished."

Kat had just stood and looked around the small hut for some type of mirror when the back door creaked open and Arian slipped inside. He stopped short, taking in her outfit with a shocked yet grief-stricken look on his face. His eyes flickered to his mother in surprise, but she wouldn't look at him. "I'll go make sure the coast is clear," she told them stiffly, before walking out with tense shoulders.

Kat looked after her in confusion. "I think I've somehow made her angry," she told Ari quietly, her eyes troubled.

"It's not you," he assured her, the sadness practically radiating off him. "It's the clothes you're wearing. They belonged to my older sister." Kat looked down, frowning, a question in her eyes. He was already shaking his head. "Not Lexa, she's only my half sister. My other sister's name was Alora. She died a couple years ago. She was murdered by the Mountain Men."

Kat saw the fury in his eyes as he thought about it and immediately felt uncomfortable. "I shouldn't be wearing these – " Kat tried to protest.

"She would have wanted you too," Arian disagreed, flashing her a small smile. "She was never one to follow the rules. She would have liked knowing that her clothes help you sneak out of the camp right under Lexa's nose." He surveyed her again with a look of appreciation in his eyes. "You look like you could fit in as one of us. Come look."

He waved her over to a bowl on the table and when Kat walked over and looked down in the water, her jaw dropped open. Kat's black hair was parted on the far right, the small section pulled back tight with two small braids. The other section was also braided in a beautiful, elaborate style, though not as tight or as small. The braids connected and were interwoven at the back of her head, the rest of her hair lying loose around her shoulders. Elowyn had used to black paint on her face. Along the side of her face with the thin white scar, two black lines traced the same pattern. It started up by her left temple, came down by her eye and ended at the corner of her mouth. On the other side of her face, three lines traced from her forehead, down over her eyebrow and eye and onto her cheekbone. The first line ended by her mouth, the next by her nose and the last just under her eye. With her disconcerting gray eyes, she looked pretty badass.

"I have something for you," Ari said, bumping her shoulder gently and breaking her out of her shock. He walked over to pick up a large bundle that Kat didn't even realize he had been carrying. He opened up the cloth and pulled something out of it.

Kat's eyes widened. "Is that – "

"Your sword," Ari finished, nodding, looking pleased with the happiness on her face. "I found it tossed to the side by where your camp used to be. You should have it," he told her, handing it over. "It's put to better use with you than it ever did with my father."

"Are you sure?" Kat asked, even as she reached out to take it from him, enjoying the familiar feel of its weight. Though she had only had the sword for a short period of time, she had felt almost naked without it. It had helped save her life on so many occasions.

"Yes," Ari grinned, watching her look it over reverently. "Here, I want you to have this too."

"What is it?" Kat asked curiously, putting the sword down for a moment and taking it from him.

"One of my cloaks," he answered, holding it open and showing her how to put it on. "It doesn't have any armholes, just hooks around your shoulders and has a hood to pull over your head. See how it's dark green? We use these to help camouflage ourselves from the enemy."

"Like when you used to hide in the trees!" Kat exclaimed in realization, admiring the cloak as she slipped it on.

He nodded. "This will help you slip out of the village unnoticed."

Kat was at a loss for words. "I don't know what to say," she told him helplessly, feeling overwhelmed and out of her depth. "I don't know how I can possibly thank you – "

"You don't have to," Ari scoffed, waving his hand. "I like you Sky Girl. I just hope you find the happiness you're looking for."

Just as Kat was becoming alarmed at the tears pricking her eyes, Elowyn walked back inside. Kat blinked quickly, turning away from Ari in relief. "The southern path is clear," Elowyn told them, her face blank once more. "She should leave now, as the guards are changing."

"Wait," Kat said suddenly. "The two men that you have prisoner. What's going to happen to them?"

"It's not my decision, but I'll make sure they won't be harmed," Ari told her, putting a fist over his heart. Though Kat didn't care much for Jaha and Kane, she felt she had to ask on their behalf. Realizing this was the best answer she was going to get, Kat just nodded.

"Thank you Elowyn, for helping me even if you didn't want to," Kat told her sincerely.

Elowyn inclined her head once, an unreadable look on her face. "Good luck, Kat of the Sky People."

Ari ushered Kat out the door and she was surprised to see how quickly and completely night had fallen. The blackness surrounding them was absolute, but even still, Kat slipped on the sword and the cloak, pulling the hood above her head. She quietly followed behind Ari as they lightly ran along the village wall, pausing every once in a while when they heard people nearby.

They kept running for another two minutes before Ari stopped again. He swore explosively under his breath in the grounder language that Kat didn't understand. "What?" Kat asked in alarm, looking around wildly. "What's wrong?"

"The guards have already switched." Kat watched him as he fell silent and she imagined she could practically hear his brain racing. "Alright change of plans. I'm going to distract the guard so you can slip out behind him."

Kat grabbed his arm quickly as he made to leave. "Wait! They'll know it was you who helped me!"

"You worry too much," he scoffed, throwing a reckless grin at her. She let out a surprise gasp as he pulled her into a quick hug. "When you leave the village, start heading south, that way. You'll come across your camp in about a day. Good luck, Sky Girl. I'll see you around."

She watched him leave, feeling like no matter what happens next, she was glad that she had met someone like Ari.

He backtracked and came around some of the huts in the village so he approached the guard and the gate from the opposite side of where Kat was hiding. Heart beating a frantic pattern in her chest, Kat crept forward slightly, her muscles tense and prepared to run as soon as the guard was distracted. Ari jovially called out to the guard, waving and being generally louder than was necessary. As soon as the guard turned his head to see what the commotion was, Kat slipped out the gates, sticking close to the trees to hide her silhouette.

When she was a safe distance away, Kat turned and looked back at the village, silently thanking Ari for his help. The worry that she was feeling for his part in her escape faded to the background as she turned back in the direction he had pointed and took off at a run, the excitement and anticipation of seeing Bellamy again pushing her on.

A wide smile crossed her face. She was free and she was finally going to see someone who she thought had been dead. She dared a reaper to try and stop her now.

* * *

**Bellamy's POV**

_We're perfectly imperfect. _

_You make me forget my pain._

_You don't get to leave me, do you understand? You can't leave me when I only just found you! I love you, you big giant idiot. Did you hear me? I'm in love with you!_

Kat's words swirled through his brain on an endless loop, words that he had been unable to shake since she disappeared. It was like his brain was trying to cause him physical pain, taunting him because she wasn't here. It was a never-ending slideshow of Kat. Kat angry, Kat laughing, Kat teasing him, Kat content after a night spent with him. Kat, Kat, Kat.

Running his hands over his face in agitation, Bellamy rolled out of bed and stalked out of his makeshift tent. He shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking, hoping to clear his head. He paused, abruptly changing directions and heading along the outside of Camp Jaha. Away from people who would annoy him or even worse.. try and speak to him. His temper was so short these days that he would snap at the smallest provocation.

He stayed a safe distance away from the electrified fence as he walked behind the structure of the Ark. His eyes, as they always did, searched through the line of the forest as if Kat would suddenly walk out of it towards him. _Where are you?"_

"….. Bellamy doing?" Bellamy froze, tilting his head to the side with his eyes narrowed at the sound of his name spoken by a female voice.

There was the sound of another female sighing heavily. Creeping forward as quietly as he could, he peered around an edge of the structure and gritted his teeth with annoyance when he saw who it was.

"He's being a stubborn pain in my ass as usual," he heard Octavia scoff. He was just about to make his presence known with some particularly sarcastic comment when Octavia continued. "I haven't been with him long, but…" she hesitated. "He's not really… present. Like he was there saving that girl and bringing her home but whenever he wasn't talking or doing anything he would get this zoned out look on his face."

"Did you notice that he stands by the gate and just _watches_ the woods?" Clarke asked in a hushed whisper. His teeth were clenched together so hard that his jaw hurt. Great. The Princess was in on this too. Talking about him like he was some weak little boy that didn't know any better.

"I don't think he's slept since we've been back."

"It was the same with Kat. When did all of this happen?" She asked, mystified. "I mean one minute I'm finding out that they're sleeping together when Kat's drunk and the next they're in love and hardly able to survive without each other?" She paused. "Well, that's not true. They're both functioning relatively well. They're just… empty. Does that make sense?"

"Normally I would say no, but I've seen it first hand. Plus I can understand what they're going through," Octavia murmured under her breath. Guilt trickled through him. Here he was wrapped up in his own shit and he had completely forgotten that Octavia had lost someone of her own. He was a terrible, terrible brother. He vowed right at that moment to do better. To pay more attention. "I think life down here happens differently," Octavia continued, sounding thoughtful. "I mean there's the obvious fighting-for=our-lives bit that we've never had to do before, but with relationships too. Sometimes you have to make a split second decision about whether to trust someone or not. Down here, stupid drama and arguments don't seem to matter and you have to stick together if you want to survive. The bond between two people is deeper and more substantial."

"That makes sense," Clarke agreed quietly. "You never know what's going to happen from one day to the next, especially down on the ground. It's literally life or death and that changes everything. You have to cherish every moment you have with someone."

They both fell silent for a moment, accepting what had just been said. It was Octavia who spoke again. "I'm just warning you though. I don't know what Bellamy will do if your mom and the rest of the council decide not to send out another search party."

"I'll convince her," Clarke told her reassuringly. "I went through the whole thing with her earlier before she went into the meeting. She's on our side."

"I hope you're right," Octavia said slowly, a warning tinge to her voice. Bellamy peered around the corner and sure enough, Octavia was glaring at Clarke with a fiery determination that seemed to radiate out of her. He had been on the receiving end of one of those looks – it promised that she wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted. "Because I'm on his side. Kat was the first friend that I ever made and Bellamy _loves_ her. Do you know how strange it is even saying that? We're not going to give up on her. We're going to find her no matter what it takes."

"This isn't some competition, Octavia, Kat is my friend too," Clarke argued in a hard voice. "I want to find her just as much as you do."

Movement caught the corner of Bellamy's eye and he turned his head in the opposite direction to see Raven giving him a nod. He nodded back before walking forward so that Clarke and Octavia could see him. They both fell silent as he approached, but he pretended like he didn't hear their conversation. "Raven gave the signal. The council's made their decision."

"Right," Clarke nodded determinedly. "Let's go. We'll let you know what happens," she said to Octavia before leading the way inside. They caught up to Abby walking alone in one of the hallways. When she caught sight of them, Bellamy could tell that the news wasn't going to be good. Clarke either had so much faith in her mother or didn't notice. "Mom!" She called out, a small smile on her face. "So? What happened? When do we leave – "

"You don't. We're not going after them."

"What?" Clarke gasped, shock on her face. "No! You can't just cut them loose!"

Bellamy scoffed angrily, crossing his arms and pacing back and forth in agitation as he listened to Abby and Clarke argue. "We don't have the man power to send out two separate rescue missions and protect our camp!" Abby told her loudly.

"Mom," Clarke interrupted, sounding like she was trying to keep calm while all she wanted to do was reach out and shake her mother. "They're in trouble. They're either going to get themselves killed or make things worse with the grounders, who we _need_ to get our people out of Mount Weather – "

"I know you feel this is unfair," Abby told her. "But our priority has to be with Chancellor Kane if there is any hope for peace."

"If you wanted peace you shouldn't have killed the only grounder who would help us!" Clarke yelled angrily.

"I'm sorry." Abby's voice by contrast was becoming quieter, her face unyielding. "The decision's been made."

The fury within Bellamy grew and he couldn't stay silent any longer. "You're sorry?" He repeated sarcastically, striding forward with his eyes narrowed. "Finn and Murphy are out there, looking for _your _daughter with guns _you_ gave them. And what? Now that she's home you're just going to abandon them?" He paused, trying to get control of his anger. It wasn't working. "Kat escaped Mount Weather with Clarke. She's out there, lost, just like Clarke was. What you're telling us is that her life, Finn and Murphy's lives, don't matter as much as your daughter's."

Abby flinched and began shaking her head. "That's not true – "

"If you can't spare the guards," Bellamy interrupted again, face set. "We know the terrain and we have a map we can do it ourselves."

Clarke was nodding, throwing him a grateful look, but Abby was shaking her head again. "Absolutely not!"

"Mom – " Clarke cried.

"I just got you back!" She snapped, clenching her jaw as that statement basically confirmed what Bellamy said to be true. There was a long pause.

"Abby!" Another man ran inside the building, his eyes flickering around the room and taking in the tension. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "But we need you in medical."

"You'd better go," Clarke told her in a cool voice, crossing her arms. The shock of her mother's betrayal was obviously beginning to wear off, giving way to barely restrained anger.

"Byrne!" Abby called to the guard behind her without taking her eyes off her daughter. There was a finality to the power in her eyes, an extra step to make sure Clarke did what she commanded. "No one leaves this camp."

Bellamy didn't conceal the glare he sent her as she walked past him, following the other man outside. The unfairness and injustice of it all was eating at his insides, making him feel restless and on edge. The minute that Abby had told them they weren't going after Kat and the others, he had begun to make a plan. Octavia would be furious with the decision, so he knew he could count on her for help. They would need to figure out a way to sneak past all the guards and the electric fence.

He blinked out of his planning as Clarke walked up to him, the same anger and determination reflecting back at him out of her eyes. "We're going to need guns," she told him quietly, making relief spread through him. She was on his side, not her mother's. She was going to help them. "Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to go find Raven and see what she can do to help us sneak out of camp. Then we need to gather supplies, make packs. Some extra clothes, foods, guns and medical supplies. Keep your head down and don't raise any suspicions. If my mom or Byrne sees all of us gathering it's going to look suspicious. We'll meet up in an hour at the back of camp. Got it?"

Bellamy nodded and immediately got to work, adrenaline beginning to flow through him. He had a plan, a goal in place, one that will bring him closer to finding Kat. He refused to entertain the idea that something had happened to her out there. His girl was strong, stronger than anyone he had ever met. She was fine and he was _finally_ going to see her soon.

* * *

**Kat's POV**

Kat had been running for hours, cursing the weakness of her body. Her legs were burning and trembling from exhaustion, her lungs screaming for air as her breathing grew harsh and her heart galloped in her chest. But still she pushed herself forward. Kat had watched the sun rise over the trees and position itself high in the sky. Arian had told her that the journey from his village to the Ark's camp would take about a day. She estimated that she had cut that time in half. She had stopped only once to take a drink from a nearby stream before continuing on.

Eventually, about an hour later she had stumbled to a stop, panting desperately. She crouched down in the tree line behind some bushes, peering out behind them with wide eyes and a partially open mouth. There was no way Mount Weather could have missed this. Which meant that her and Clarke had been right. They had been lying to them the whole time.

Sitting in front of her, plain as day and taking up a hell of a lot of space, was one the stations from the Ark, crash landed on the ground. Her eyes flickered over it critically, taking the time to plan even though she just wanted to sprint through the gates screaming. There was a large clearing from where she was hiding and the gates of the camp – there was no way she could get a closer look without being spotted from a mile away. She took in the guards patrolling the high gate that wrapped around the camp and she strained to identify the bodies of people milling around behind it. Was Bellamy in there somewhere? Clarke? Maybe even Octavia?

Unable to wait any longer, Kat had just begun to stand when she was ambushed from behind. "Not so fast, you filthy fucking grounder," a male voice snarled before bringing down the butt of his gun and slamming it into her head.

A strange ringing noise filled Kat's ears as she struggled to open and focus her eyes. There was a flash of the sun in the blue sky, the black of the guard's clothes and the green of the grass beneath her. Her foggy, sluggish brain fought against the unconsciousness that threatened to descend upon her. Prying her eyes open, Kat had to blink multiple times to clear her vision. Her head lolled on her shoulders as she looked up and realized that she was being carried/dragged by two guards who had a firm grip on her upper arms. When she recognized the young guard with short blonde hair and empty blue eyes, anger spread through her. "Funnghh," she groaned, slurring her curse as she stumbled, trying to get her feet under her.

"Shut up," Officer Ashton snapped, shaking her roughly and making her wince. Of all the people who could have died when the Ark fell to the ground, how was it that this piece of shit had managed to survive? Her hood had fallen off when he had hit her, but it seemed that Elowyn's disguise had held up well. He either thought she was dead or he didn't recognize her at all.

_Bellamy… _His name was whispered from somewhere in the back of her possibly damaged brain, making Kat grit her teeth and force herself to focus. Pretending to be compliant with the two officers, she let her head loll on her shoulders and she stumbled along with them, taking in her surroundings out of her half-closed eyes. They were walking across the vast clearing up to the gate.

As they got closer, Kat's heart began to pound once more in anticipation, her mind growing clearer as she heard shouts coming from the camp. "Grounder! Open the gates!"

She raised her head, all pretense of being unconscious going out the window as her eyes flickered quickly from person to person, searching for the familiar head of tousled brown hair, an arrogant smirk or wide, strong shoulders. Despair began to grow when she couldn't find him. She saw the guards sneering down at her with looks of disgust on their faces, parents ushering their children away in fear.

But she didn't see him.

_Arian and Kane were wrong,_ she thought, agony nearly overwhelming her. _He's not here. He's dead._

And then…

There he was. Ignoring the small commotion and heading for the opposite side of the camp. She couldn't see his face, but she knew it was him. The way he walked, with fluid movement like a predatory cat, was so familiar to her that there was no doubt in her mind.

"Bellamy," she murmured, her muscles tensing as she began to walk with the guards.

"What did it say?" The other guard asked Ashton in alarm. Kat ignored them. Bellamy was walking away from her, was about to disappear around a section of the Ark and leave Kat's sight. Disappear just like her hallucinations of him. After all this time she just couldn't allow that happen.

"BELLAMY!" She screamed as loud as she could, straining against the arms holding her back. She watched with bated breath, ignoring the multitude of faces that turned in her direction, her wide grey eyes locked on him as he stopped short.

Slowly, as if he wasn't sure if it was his mind playing tricks on him, Bellamy turned, and when his eyes met hers, she finally knew that he wasn't dead. His jaw went slack when he saw her, eyes widening in disbelief and joy, a beautiful, breathtaking smile of relief crossing his face. She felt like sobbing when she saw him mouth her name, dropping his pack to the ground, forgotten, and immediately moving in her direction.

She had forgotten that she was being restrained for a moment as she tried to go to him. A snarl on her face, she violently ripped her right arm away from the surprised, unnamed guard, using that momentum to pivot and punch Ashton in the face, causing him to let go of her with a shout of pain, staggering backward and covering his nose. She blocked the other guards attack with a club using her forearm, holding onto his wrist and kneeing him in the stomach before wrenching the club from him and hitting him across the head.

She dropped the club and was running before the guard even hit the floor. She forgot about the mental and physical pain that she had been through these past couple of days, forgot about everything that they still needed to do. There was only Bellamy.

She drank him in eagerly as she ran, watching as he shoved guards to the side and broke into a run of his own. There was a small commotion around them as guards moved toward them in alarm, but Kat saw none of it. When he was only a few feet away from her, Kat launched herself at him, hitting him with enough force so that he staggered backwards a few steps.

Her arms were around his neck as he lifted her off the ground, her legs wrapping around his waist. His arms squeezed her so tightly that she couldn't breathe but she didn't care. He was here, he was alive. Kat squeezed her eyes shut as her throat burned with overwhelming emotion that she couldn't quite describe. Elation, disbelief, joy, relief, all of it was just attacking her at once. Trembling slightly, Kat buried her face in his neck, breathing in his familiar scent.

It was then that Kat understood. Home wasn't a place. It was the people you surround yourself with, the people you love. For Kat, Bellamy was home.

Kat didn't know how long they stood there, swaying slightly, before he slowly lowered her to the floor, her arms still around his neck. She looked up at his handsome, smiling face, tracing over his familiar features, his warm brown eyes burning as he looked down at her. His hands came up to cup her face, thumbs gently wiping away the tears that Kat didn't know had been spilling down her cheeks.

"I've been looking everywhere for you, Kitten," he whispered hoarsely, hands sliding back down to her waist. "I've missed you so much – "

"Shut up, you idiot," Kat interrupted, hands threading in his hair. "Just shut up." She pulled his head down to hers and she caught a glimpse of a grin before she captured her lips with his. Kat wasn't good with words. She couldn't find a way to tell him about the utter fear and devastation she had felt when she thought he was dead. The agony that followed afterwards or the relief that now made her body feel light as air. So she did her best to pour all her emotions for him into their kiss. An electric current lit through her body as their lips met, her fingernails reflexively scraping against his scalp. It was like they picked up right where they had left off. There was no hesitation or uncertainty in their kiss – their lips moved fluidly, devouring each other.

Kat quickly forgot that they were standing in the middle of camp surrounded by people. When he nipped her bottom lip before sweeping his tongue inside her mouth, a fiery heat settled in her lower stomach, her body temperature rising several degrees. She wanted nothing more than to rip his clothes off his body and show him how much she missed him, but she knew the moment wasn't right.

When they pulled away, gasping for air, Bellamy rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed as they clung to each other. "I thought you were dead," she breathed shakily, pulling back to look at him.

"I'm right here," he told her seriously, reaching for her hands and threading their fingers together. Her mind flashed back to the first time they had ever gotten together, when she had been feeling like everybody in her life left her. It was right after Wells had died and Bellamy had proven that he was there for her, even if it was different from how their relationship is now. And he was here. He had been there for her ever since they had landed down on the ground. "I love you," he whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine and a flush across her face. She let his words bounce around her skull, cherishing them in a way that she never had before.

She didn't think she would ever hear him say that again and for the first time in a long time, a real, genuine smile spread across her face. She didn't hesitate when she answered him this time. "I love you too."

A shout attracted her attention and Kat looked around in surprise to find that a crowd of people had formed around them. "Back away!" Clarke shouted, holding up a hand to the guards, her blue eyes flashing angrily. "She's not a grounder, you morons, she's one of us!" A happy relieved smile crossed Clarke's face when she met Kat's eyes. Raven was there as well, holding up a crutch like a weapon as she stood protectively in front of Kat.

"Kat!" A female voice cried, and Kat turned once more to see a glimpse of Octavia before she was pulled into yet another bone crushing Blake hug. "Oh thank god," Octavia sighed as Kat wrapped one arm around her – the other was still tightly locked in Bellamy's grasp. Like she would disappear if he let go of her.

"You're alive," Kat pulled away, shocked, one hand on Octavia's neck as she looked her up and down critically. "I didn't know what happened to you or where you went. I was so worried – "

"I'm okay," Octavia reassured her, though Kat thought her smile was a little forced. "Where have you been?" She asked, looking her up and down. "Why do you look like a grounder?"

"Later," Clarke told them quietly, coming up to Kat and giving her a relieved hug of her own. "I told you he was alive," she said to Kat, seemingly unable to resist.

Raven was next. "You look seriously bad ass. I'm glad you're back safe, Kat."

"Are you alright?" Kat asked in concern, taking in the brace on her leg and the crutch. "What happened?"

Before she could answer, Clarke interrupted. "Uh oh," she muttered under her breath. "Here we go." Kat followed her line of sight and was shocked to see Abby Griffin striding towards them, guards flanking her. The look promised that they were in trouble, but for the moment, Kat couldn't care. Bellamy pulled her closer, his hand letting go of hers and threading around her shoulders as he pressed a lingering kiss to her temple. Octavia was on the other side of her sending her a wink with a twinkle in her eye even as she reached over to squeeze her hand in support, and Clarke and Raven were in front, standing like a protective barrier.

The people that she had thought was dead were alive and they were all together again. Kat was the happiest that she could ever remember being. She only hoped that it would last longer than a day.

You never know what could happen, down here on the ground.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whew! That scene was in my head from the very beginning and I really hope I did it justice. My eyes were tearing as I imagined how Kat was feeling in this chapter and I really hope I got everyone's emotions across. A couple of you asked me to hit you with the feels and I hope I did :)**

**As always, all of you are amazing! I hope you guys are as excited for the rest of the chapters as you were for this reunion. We still have a long ways to go! Don't forget to review, you wonderful people!**


	6. We'll Get Through This

**Author's Note: Holy shit. Words cannot even begin to describe how much I enjoyed and appreciated reading your positive comments about the last chapter. You guys are honestly the best. **

**I want to give a big thank you to Dannylionthe1st for helping me with this chapter, especially when I got stuck. And another thank you to Maddie Rose for creating the new image thumbnail for this story! She's writing a really interesting Bellamy/OC story that I don't think anyone's done yet. Go show her some love!**

**Oh… and I'm bumping the rating of this up to M :) **** You guys know the drill. If you don't like explicit scenes, then don't read the end. But definitely leave a review!**

* * *

Chapter 6: We'll Get Through This

Kat glanced at Clarke as Abby marched towards them, but aside from the resigned look on her face, it appeared that she knew her mother was alive, and at the moment she didn't look too pleased about it.

Abby paused when she reached their little group, her eyes flickering from Kat's appearance to the protective stances Bellamy and the others had assumed around her. Her eyes lingered on the arm that he had possessively draped around her shoulder. "Stand down," she called to the guards still surrounding them, ready to move in. "This is Katerina Hale. She's one of us." At her words, the guards and the rest of the crowd dispersed. "You three, come with me," she ordered, indicating Kat, Bellamy and Clarke.

All of them exchanged a look. Octavia looked like she wanted to argue but Kat squeezed her hand, signaling for her not to push it. They followed Abby back inside, Bellamy's hand still tightly grasped within her own. She led them into a room with nothing in it besides a large circular table. As soon as the door was closed, she rounded on Kat. "Are you alright?" She asked stiffly, a strange look that Kat thought was guilt in her eyes.

Kat nodded, watching her curiously. When she shifted, a flash of gold caught Kat's eye, causing them to widen incredulously. "_You're _Chancellor?" She asked in a loud, shocked voice. "Since when?"

"Since Marcus Kane left on a mission to make a deal with the grounders and left me as acting Chancellor – "

Kat snorted, an amused smirk on her lips. "Is that what he was supposed to be doing?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "I imagine that must be hard to do locked away in the grounder's prison."

A long moment of shocked silence followed her words. Abby looked pale, her eyes wide. "What?" She gasped. "What did you just say?"

"I saw Kane in the grounder prison," she said again. "Him and Chancellor Jaha." She paused, tilting her head to the side. "So I guess that doesn't really make you Chancellor, then, right?"

Abby staggered back a few steps, bracing her hand against the table, looking at a complete loss for words. "Why don't you start from the beginning?" Bellamy suggested gently.

"Yeah, what happened after we got separated?" Clarke asked.

"When we jumped from that waterfall, one of the Mountain Men hit me with some kind of tranquilizer dart," Kat explained, crossing her arms as she flashed back to the feeling of the cold water dragging her down, invading her lungs and nearly drowning her. She shuddered slightly. "When I woke up, I didn't know where you were. I was going to try and find you but a group of reapers found me first." She felt Bellamy tense beside her but she ignored it. "I tried to run but they surrounded me. I managed to steal one of their swords and kill a few of them – "

Kat broke off at Abby's startled gasp. When she glanced at her, she was taken aback at the look in her eyes. Abby was looking at her like she was a stranger, like she had never seen her before. "You – you _killed_ them?" She repeated in a low voice. "And you're just casually mentioning this like it doesn't even matter?"

Kat bristled, her eyes narrowing at the judgment in her voice. "Have you ever seen a reaper, Abby?" She asked in a hard voice. "They _eat_ people and they smell like death. You'll have to excuse me if I did whatever was necessary to live. Besides," she added in a cruel voice. "Didn't you sacrifice over three hundred people with a single push of a button?"

"Okay!" Clarke interrupted loudly to cover the awkward moment. "What happened next?"

"I was about to die. I would have, too, if Arian hadn't saved me."

"Arian?" Bellamy asked sharply, something like realization dawning in his eyes. "The kid grounder who helped us on the bridge?"

Kat nodded. "With the help of him and his people we killed the other reapers. His people turned on him though, knocked me out and threw me into the prison with Kane and Jaha. There's not much to tell after that. The Commander let me out because I knew Arian and he helped me escape. Now here we are."

"You know where the grounder's village is?" Abby asked, straightening.

"Yes," Kat answered after a moment, not liking the look on her face.

"Would you be able to take us there?"

"No," Kat told her firmly.

"Why not?" Abby asked, taken aback. "If Kane and Jaha are locked away and possibly in danger – "

"Because I don't need you Arkers stumbling around and making things worse for us! You have no idea what this past month on the ground has been like for us. If you tried to go negotiate Kane and Jaha out of prison, you'd probably end up starting a war that you wouldn't know how to finish."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Abby demanded.

"Arian said that they wouldn't be harmed – "

"The unrealistic promise of one child to another – "

"This is getting us nowhere," Clarke interrupted, shaking her head wearily. "Mom, Kat's been through a lot and is probably exhausted. She's told you what you needed to hear – can't the rest wait until she's had a decent night's sleep?"

"Fine," Abby said shortly, pinching the bridge of her nose before waving a hand towards the door. "You're dismissed."

"You're mom can be a real piece of work, Clarke," Kat muttered as they walked back outside again. She followed Clarke and Bellamy as they stopped to pick up the packs that they had dropped before Kat had arrived. "Where are we going?"

"Finn and Murphy are still out there," Clarke answered, her face set as she led them around the back of the Ark structure.

Bellamy turned to look at Kat, his face serious. "You should stay here."

Kat's mouth flopped open, panicking invading her at the thought of him and the others leaving her. "I – what – No! Why would you – "

"You've been through a lot, you need to rest – "

"Oh, shut up!" She snapped, rolling her eyes. "You should know me better than that, Blake. I'm not some helpless girl that you can just leave behind so I can wait until you get back. I'm going with you and if you argue with me any more I swear I will punch you in the face."

Bellamy stared down at her for a long moment, before the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. Kat relaxed, knowing she had won this battle. She also knew that he only suggested it because he cared for her – though it still pissed her off.

Raven suddenly appeared, leaning heavily on her crutch and making them all tense. She swung a heavy pack on a nearby rock. "I scored you a couple extra clips."

"Nice," Bellamy murmured, appreciatively as he opened the pack and looked inside at the different guns.

"Did you find Octavia?" Clarke asked Raven.

"No," came Octavia's voice as she joined them, an annoyed look on her face. "I found you." Her sword was on her back and her face was determined. "I am _not_ letting you leave here without me."

"Octavia – " Clarke tried to interrupt, but Octavia was on a roll. A small, proud smile was on Kat's lips as she watched her friend stand up for herself. Gratitude at the fact that Octavia was still alive suddenly swept through her. Life would be considerably duller without her.

"Finn and Murphy are headed for Lincoln's village," Octavia continued, ignoring Clarke. "I've been there. Have you? Has she?"

"You done?" Bellamy asked in amusement.

Octavia paused as Clarke handed Bellamy another pack, which he gave to her. "What's this?" She asked.

"Your pack."

A sheepish smile spread across Octavia's face as she took it. "Did you have more you wanted to say?" Kat asked with a grin, crossing her arms. "It seemed like you were building up to a really rousing speech, I'd love to hear the rest of it – "

"Oh, shut up," Octavia laughed, punching her in the arm. "Like you wouldn't have done this same thing."

Bellamy watched them with a happy look, his smile wide and his eyes shining. Kat sent him an inquisitive look, but he just shook his head, lips pressed together. "Lead the way," he told Octavia, gesturing to the fence surrounding the camp.

Octavia started forward but was stopped when Raven held out her crutch to block her way. "Hold it right there, Pocahontas." They all watched as Raven touched the crutch to one of the wires, jumping when it emitted a loud, dangerous spark, smoke rising from where it connected.

"I thought you said it was handled!" Clarke hissed urgently.

"It is!" Raven assured her, pulling a walkie talkie out of her pocket. "Shut her down, Wick," she said. After a few seconds, the walkie beeped and Raven held her crutch out again to the section wires and sent Clarke a smug smile when nothing happened. "See? Handled."

Octavia took the lead, shoving her pack through the wires and stepping out after it. Kat and the rest of them followed her. Kat turned to wave at Raven, catching the forlorn, wistful expression on her face before she realized Kat was watching. She quickly put on a brave smile and waved. Feeling terrible that Raven had to be left behind, Kat waved back before turning around and disappearing into the forest.

As they walked, Kat fell into line next to Octavia in the front. She had thought her best friend had died in the battle and while she obviously hadn't, Kat could tell that there was something different about her. Something was off.

"Hey," Kat murmured, bumping her shoulder gently.

"Hey," Octavia smiled back.

"Are you alright?" Kat asked in concern. "What happened out there?"

Octavia's smile faded as she looked away, pain tightening her eyes. "During the battle, Lincoln and I were running to safety but I was shot with an arrow coated in poison. Lincoln insisted on turning around and we went back to his village for the antidote. He ended up getting captured by the reapers. Some of the members of the village and I ended up saving some of the others captured, but Lincoln wasn't with them. He's – he's gone," she whispered, her voice thick and her eyes shining. A tear trickled down her face but she brushed it away almost angrily.

Sympathy drifted through Kat. "We'll find him, O, I promise you," Kat told her, voice strong with determination, wanting Octavia to believe every word she was saying. "We'll get him back."

Octavia glanced over at her in appreciation, a grateful smile on her lips. "Thanks Kat," she murmured softly. Her smile grew as she shook her head slightly. "He's not going anywhere, you know."

"What?" Kat asked, confused.

"Bellamy," she answered with a chuckle. "You keep looking over to make sure he's still there. I don't think he's going to let you out of his sight for a long, long time."

"I – I didn't realize I was doing that," Kat said sheepishly, flushing red. "I don't know what's happening to me."

"It's called being in love, Kat," Octavia laughed, rolling her eyes. "It makes you say and do stupid things." Kat didn't have anything to say to that, except to nod in solemn agreement. "Come on. We should pick up the pace before we have to stop for the night."

They were mostly silent for the rest of their trip. She didn't know about the others, but Kat's mind was occupied with the kind of damage and trouble that Murphy, a psychopath, and Finn who had never held a gun before, could do. Especially if they thought that the grounders were holding 47 of their people, Clarke included. By now, it was possible that a grounder army was on their way to Camp Jaha to kill them all. And even if they weren't, it was imperative that they find them before they did something stupid.

When they did stop after the sun had gone down, they had a meager dinner of berries and nuts and huddled around a fire that Bellamy had built. He insisted on taking first watch, glaring at them all incase they decided to argue.

They all lay down around the fire. Kat took off her sword and tried to close her eyes and relax. Her body ached and exhaustion had settled deep in her bones, but for some reason she was unable to fall asleep. She tried mentally forcing each of her muscles to relax, she tried counting backwards and she tried shifting on the hard ground to find a more comfortable position but she couldn't.

How much time had passed? An hour or two? Kat was currently facing away from the fire, annoyance at herself running through her body. She was still lying there with her eyes closed, but she had given up on actually sleeping.

"The last time I saw you," Bellamy suddenly said, making Kat freeze, listening hard. "You were dragging Kat inside the dropship and closing the door."

"I'm sorry," Clarke apologized softly, sounding guilty.

"Thank you," Bellamy told her sincerely. "For making her go with you and saving her. It had to be done."

Kat heard someone shifting. "You look worried," Clarke commented.

"I'm worried about Finn," he told her. "You haven't seen him, Clarke. Losing you and the others…. The war. It changed him. He executed the grounder that drew us the map. Pulled the trigger and _walked away._"

"That doesn't sound like Finn."

"No," Bellamy agreed quietly. "It doesn't. I saw what he was capable of and still I let him go with Murphy and two automatic rifles." Kat's heart sank at what she now recognized as guilt in his voice and marveled at how much he had changed since they came down to the ground. Now he took responsibility for other's actions even when it might not be his fault.

"I'm sure that had to be done too," Clarke was saying.

"When we went back to the dropship and you guys weren't there, we assumed it was the grounders."

"Of course you did. You couldn't have known it was the Mountain Men. No one could have." Gratitude rushed through Kat at Clarke's words. Clarke and Bellamy were the leaders of the camp and there were some things that Kat couldn't help Bellamy with. Clarke was making Bellamy feel better when Kat could not.

"How long until chocolate cake becomes hanging upside down and being drained for their blood?" Bellamy questioned in a heavy voice.

"I don't know," Clarke whispered. There was a long moment of silence. "Why don't you grab a couple hours of sleep?" She suggested. "I can take over for a little while."

Bellamy must have nodded because Kat heard him get up, the branches breaking underneath him as he made his way toward her. Kat opened her eyes as he stopped in front of her, shrugging out of his jacket and placing it on the ground next to her to use as a pillow. He looked over at her when he settled on his side facing her, smiling when their eyes met.

They hadn't really gotten a chance to talk alone since they had found each other again. Now that the reunion moment had passed, she found herself torn between feeling awkward at the strength of her emotions when she had thought he had died and ashamed at the fact that she didn't have faith that he would still be alive. Part of her didn't know what to say to him. And the other part didn't want to say anything at all, especially with the way he was looking at her right now, like he would like nothing more to devour her whole

Her heart beat a little faster when he slowly reached over with one hand, running his fingers down her cheek, brushing against her lips and making them part on a sigh. Her body grew warm when she saw his pupils dilate and his jaw clench.

She grabbed his hand and pulled it away from her face, lacing their fingers together and trying to take a deep breath. She wanted nothing more than to have him touch her in any way that he wanted, but they were only feet away from Clarke and his sister and that definitely wasn't appropriate. "This is torture," Kat whispered, her voice barely audible. "Stop looking at me like that."

His thumb traced a soothing pattern on the back of her hand. "Soon," he promised in a hoarse voice, his brown eyes burning. Kat nodded shakily, her heart rate slowing down as Bellamy pulled her against his chest. Her eyes closed as she felt him press a kiss to the top of her head. Her arm wrapped around his waist, and with a fistful of his shirt and his soothing, familiar scent wrapping around her, Kat was finally able to sleep for the first time in days.

* * *

It felt like she had only been asleep for seconds when Octavia was shaking them awake with a sarcastic comment. "As cute as this is, we really need to keep moving."

Kat grunted in annoyance, wanting nothing more than to burrow her head deeper into Bellamy's chest and go back to sleep, but instead she rolled off him and stood up, stretching. It seemed almost impossible, but somehow she felt even more tired than she had been before.

The sun was just beginning to set when their weary group started out again, grabbing their swords and their guns. A sense of urgency had seemed to fill their small group, and they unconsciously picked up the pace.

An hour into their walk, Octavia stopped short, staring up at a large statue of a man sitting in a chair. "Which way to the village?" Bellamy asked, looking at her in confusion. They all shared a look as Octavia's breathing grew shallow, seemingly unable to look away from the statue. "O?"

"The reapers came from there," she told them in a thick voice, pointing with her sword. Kat's frown deepened – she was talking about what happened with Lincoln. Octavia's face crumpled as Bell pulled her close. "I couldn't save him, Bell," she sobbed into his shirt. "I couldn't save him."

"Shhh," Bellamy soothed, looking heartbroken for her. "We'll find him, O," he echoed Kat's words from yesterday.

Octavia nodded and pulled away, looking embarrassed as she rubbed a sleeve across her face. "Come on. We should keep – "

She broke off as the sound of a gunshot echoed through the forest. They shared a scared, wide-eyed look and broke into a run. Clarke and Bellamy grabbed hold of their guns and Kat joined Octavia in pulling out her sword. More gunshots followed the first, making Kat's breath catch in her throat.

"Oh god," Clarke moaned as she ran, her blue eyes wide. "Faster!" She urged them all as they stepped up their run into a sprint, dodging trees and leaping over logs and roots.

As they drew closer to the village, the sound of pained and terrified screams reached them. When they broke the tree line and entered the village Kat couldn't believe what she was seeing. The first thing she noticed was Finn standing in the middle of the village, a gun aimed at them and a look of deranged cruelty on his face.

As they walked further into the village, Kat's wide eyes drifted over to Murphy who was standing behind Finn looking shell-shocked, and the large number of bodies strewn across the floor surrounding them both. Kat's hearing seemed to turn back on and the sound of crying and screaming assaulted her from every direction, sending a shiver down her back and making her want to clap her hands over her ears and block it all out.

Mothers cried over their children's bodies, blood seeped into the ground and glassy eyes stared up at the sky as they lay there, dying.

With a gasp of pain and recognition, Octavia pushed past them, hurrying over to crouch beside a body next to a man no one else knew.

Finn stumbled toward Clarke, his eyes never having left her once since they appeared. "I found you," he whispered happily, the beginnings of a smile on his lips.

He _found_ her? Disbelief made her blink at the sight of his smile while he was surrounded by the death of so many innocents.

Kat lost it. In less than a second, her horror at the situation transformed into a fury that consumed her entire body. With a scream of anger, Kat leaped forward, dropping her sword to the ground, grabbing his shirt with her left hand and punching him hard in the face with the other, making him stagger backwards. "You stupid, murderous, son of a bitch!" She screamed, getting in one more punch to his stomach before Bellamy grabbed her around the waist and hauled her away. "Look around you asshole! Look what you did! You've ruined everything!"

Finn looked at her with wide, confused eyes, his hands over his nose as Bellamy dragged her away, out of the village and back into the forest. "Let go of me," she snarled, ripping herself out of Bellamy's grip.

"Calm down, Kat," Bellamy snapped, his face pale and his eyes haunted. "Attacking Finn like that isn't helping anybody."

"Did you – Didn't you see – " Her anger was so great that she couldn't seem to get the words out. "He killed all those people Bellamy! Innocent people that didn't have any weapons! How are we supposed to negotiate for peace when that stupid little shit goes and does something like that?" Her voice caught. "Oh god. We'll be lucky if the Commander doesn't want to go to war over this. There were children, Bell," she whispered, shaking her head. "He killed innocent children."

Bellamy didn't seem to know what to say as he gathered her close. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes as she rested her forehead against his chest. "Keep him out of my sight," she warned, mumbling. "I just might kill him if I look at his fucking face again."

* * *

The walk back to camp was an extremely somber affair. Kat stayed up front with an equally pissed Octavia so she wouldn't have to look at Finn. Clarke had a distracted, sad look on her face and Bellamy and Murphy walked on either side of Finn, who they had searched and removed weapons from.

Kat stood off to the side with her arms crossed when the gates of the camp opened, watching as Bellamy and Clarke explained to the guards what had happened. Byrne ordered Finn and Murphy to be taken into custody and Kat glared at them as they passed by her and entered the Ark. Octavia had disappeared who knows where and Clarke muttered that she was going to go find her mother.

Bellamy put a hand on the small of Kat's back, guiding her wordlessly to the other side of camp and held the flap of his tent open. "Make yourself at home, I'm going to see what Abby's going to do with the prisoners."

Kat nodded and stalked inside with her arms still crossed, the tension making her shoulders stiff. She couldn't get the image of those poor dead grounders out of her head, Finn standing over them with that crazy look on his face.

Finn had been the one who asked her to come with him to the bridge in the hope of negotiating for peace. He had been the one who refused to pick up a gun because he couldn't bear to see other people get hurt or killed. He had been the peacemaker. How could he have done this? And all because Clarke had been missing? She could understand his fear and anxiety about not being able to find her, but she didn't see Bellamy slaughtering any villages.

She jumped slightly, as Bellamy came up behind her, sliding his hands around her waist and pressing a kiss to her cheek. Sighing, Kat turned in his arms, reaching up to link her arms around his neck, her anger at Finn and worry over their current situation fading away as her happiness to see him overtook it. . "We can get through this," Bellamy murmured, bending lower to press a kiss to her other cheek. "We'll figure something out." He paused, kissing the tip of her nose and smiling when she wrinkled it and pulled away, laughing. "I've missed your laugh, Kitten."

Kat's smile faded at the emotion in his voice and the intensity of his gaze. The temperature within the tent rose several degrees, and with a shallow breath, Kat felt the familiar warmth of desire flooding through her, something she thought she would never feel again when she thought Bellamy had died. With the desire and the fear of losing him again, Kat stepped closer to him so their bodies were flush, her hands threaded through his hair. She didn't know who moved first, but she did know that when his lips met hers she could have sobbed with relief.

Their kiss was slow at first, innocent, but then Bellamy's fingers dug into her waist, pulling her even closer as he let out a heavy breath before slipping his tongue inside her mouth, groaning as her tongue met his. The kiss intensified immediately, their movements growing frantic and desperate. Kat's hands slipped inside his shirt, nails scraping lightly down his spine and making Bellamy shudder. She tugged at his shirt and jacket impatiently. "Off," she panted, ripping her mouth from his. "Now."

He growled his own impatience as he stripped it off, before tugging her back to him, unable to get enough of her kiss, working blindly to take off her cloak, sword and shirt, a shaky gasp escaping her as their bare skin met. He flicked her bra open with one hand and threw it to the side, his mouth trailing hot kisses down her neck to her breast, flicking a tongue across her nipple and making her choke on a moan.

Swearing under his breath, he ran his hands under her thighs, lifting her up so he could reach her better. Kat's legs wrapped around his waist, her hips reflexively tilting forward as she struggled to catch her breath, head tilted back as his mouth got to work, pleasure tingling through her. She rubbed against the evidence of his arousal, making him groan again.

He stumbled towards the bed, dropping her on the bed and trailing kisses down to her stomach, fingers flicking open her pants as she toed off her boots. He tugged her pants and underwear down in one smooth motion, sitting back on his haunches and taking a moment to appreciate the sight of her sprawled out before him, chest heaving, lips swollen and grey eyes clouded with desire.

Feeling like she was going to spontaneously combust if he didn't do something soon, Kat sat up, cupping him through his pants and making his eyes flutter closed, his breath coming out in a hiss. "Now, Bellamy," she whispered in his ears, biting his earlobe impatiently. Her hand flexed around him again and it was all the motivation he needed. "Fuck," he groaned, struggling out of his pants and boots, pulling his boxers off and throwing them to the side.

He settled over her, hands on either side of her head as he stared down at her, sweaty hair clinging to his forehead. She could feel him hard against her as he nestled between her open legs. They stared at each other for a long moment before he leaned down and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. "I love you Kitten," he murmured in a low voice, before thrusting his hips forward, making her cry out as he buried himself deep inside her.

"Shit," he grunted, threading their hands together and pinning her arms above her head. Kat stared up at him, heart hammering as he froze, his eyes screwed shut. Kat's clenched around him at the look on his face, the need to move becoming unbearable.

Her legs threaded around his waist and she raised her head to capture his lips. "Bellamy," she panted in a throaty voice. "Please…."

His eyes snapped open with a wild look as she pleaded with him and he lost the battle for control. His hips slowly began to move again and she murmured her approval, her own snapping up to meet his. Their pace was frantic as they both settled into a rhythm that had them groaning and panting out their pleasure. At some point Bellamy had let go of her hands and had buried his face in her neck, his lips and breath hot as she stared up at the ceiling of his tent. Kat's nails dug into his back, leaving crescent shaped scars but he didn't seem to care. In fact, his pace increased at the pain, making her whole body jerk with the force of his thrusts.

The pleasure growing within Kat was growing tighter and tighter and when one of Bellamy's hands snuck down between their bodies she knew she was done for. "Fuck," she whimpered, legs tightening as he pulled away from her neck to watch her expression.

She saw the concentration and pleasure on his face, his jaw clenched in an effort to hold back, to watch her finish before him. That was all it took. Her vision went white as her mouth dropped open in a sharp cry as she exploded around him, the expression on her face dragging him over the edge with her. He dropped his head into her neck as he thrust into her one final time, groaning out his release as his body shuddered above her.

He collapsed on top of her, the heaviness of his body comforting as her breathing slowed down, both of them enjoying the pleasurable aftereffects. She rubbed a soothing hand down his back, a smile curving her lips upwards as contentment spread through her. "I love you too," she answered in a soft voice.

Bellamy sighed happily, grinning back at her as he gently lifted himself off her, pressing a quick kiss to her lips as he rolled to the other side of the bed, bringing her with him. Kat rested her head on his chest as her eyes fluttered closed, sleep taking over her body as she felt his hand playing with her hair and his lips pressing against her head. As long as she was in his arms, it felt like they could conquer everything, together.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry if this seemed a little filler-ish, but I didn't want to make this abnormally long. I hope you guys liked it either way – I know I enjoyed writing those types of scenes again!**

**It's time for some more shameless self-promoting. I'm starting yet another new story, one that I'm really really excited about. If any of you are Game of Thrones fans, go check it out, it's called A Dragon in Disguise! It's a Robb Stark/Rhaenys Targaryen (OC) pairing that I hope you'll find interesting. **

**As always, don't forget to review! They make me want to write faster and post quicker : ) Thanks again!**


	7. Just You and Me

**Author's Note: I am so sorry about the long wait. You guys might know that original chapters are always harder for me to write and this one took me FOREVER. But without further ado, here it is! Hope you guys like it :)**

**Special thanks for Dannylionthe1st for being such a patient beta. **

**Oh and this chapter's rated M.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Just You and Me

**Bellamy's POV**

Bellamy's brow furrowed, his eyes still closed as he was slowly pulled back into consciousness. He didn't go willingly – for the first time in a long time he had actually been able to sleep through the night. It clung to him, protesting, trying to drag him back under. He rolled over, burying his head deeper into the pillow before frowning as a distressed sound reached him.

Blinking rapidly, Bellamy lifted his head and looked around, his eyes landing on Kat. She was curled away from him, her scars visible on her bare back – at some point during the night it seemed that he had stolen the sheets from her. He began to reach for her but froze, his arm still outstretched as another pained gasp escaped her.

"Kat?" He murmured in a worried voice, sitting up. Fully awake now, Bellamy noticed how she was clutching herself in the fetal position, her nails digging into her arms as her body trembled.

"Please," she whimpered, her voice so full of pain and fear that it caused his heart beat to increase as panic rushed through him. "Please don't leave me! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry – "

He shifted over to her quickly, leaning over and placing a tentative hand on her arm. "Kat?" He spoke in a louder voice, shaking her slightly. "Wake up, Kitten, you're alright – "

With a crazed cry, Kat sat straight up with no warning, smashing her head against Bellamy's in the process as her wild eyes flickered around the tent. Wincing, Bellamy ignored the sudden throbbing in his forehead, his entire attention focused on Kat, who was breathing heavily and looking paler than usual. "Kat?" He murmured tentatively.

Her heard snapped around to look at him and it took a minute for the recognition to dawn in her grey eyes. "Bellamy?" she whispered in a tremulous voice, slowly shifting so that she was kneeling in front of him. He watched her, completely bewildered, at the look of wonder and relief in her eyes as she carefully reached out with both hands, lightly placing them on either side of his face as if to see if he was real. "You're alive," she breathed, resting her forehead against his and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Kat?" Bellamy asked, still feeling extremely worried and baffled by her behavior. "What's – "

He was abruptly cut off as she pressed her lips to his. There was a very brief moment of shock on Bellamy's end before he was swept up in her kiss. As always, his brain short-circuited whenever Kat kissed him, making him forget about everything except the feel of her soft lips against his, moving in a sensual, intoxicating way. His arms reached out to pull her into his lap, reveling in the feel of her naked body pressed up against his, her hands tangling in his hair, scratching across his scalp and sending a shiver of delight running down his spin.

How was it that she was able to turn him on to the point of insanity with just a kiss?

Something wet dripped onto his face, making him pause and pull away to look at her, shock and alarm running through when he saw the tears streaming down her face. There was nothing that jolted him back to reality more than the sight of Kat crying. The only other time he'd seen her tears was when Murphy tried to hang him in the dropship and she thought that he had died.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, frowning.

"Nothing," she denied quickly, shaking her head and trying to pull his face back to hers. "Bellamy – "

"Kat," he responded in the same tone, reaching behind him to untangle her hands from his hair before placing them back in her lap. "You're crying and shaking," he murmured in a soft voice, brushing away her tears with his thumbs. "Talk to me, Kitten. What were you dreaming about?"

Kat closed her eyes as she released a shaky breath, and when she opened them again they were full of pain. She focused them at a point over his shoulder, her face blank as she began to speak. "It wasn't a dream," she told him in a low voice. "Whenever I fall asleep…. I watch you die." Her eyes met his again, full of anguish. "Over and over again." Her lips trembled. "I thought you were dead."

His heart ached at the obvious torment that she was feeling and he wished that he knew what to do to take that away. The only thing he could think of was to reassure her that he was still here. He took her right hand and placed it against his chest right above his heart. "Feel that?" He asked her, bending his head slightly to catch her gaze, his expression fierce. "I'm alive, Kat. I'm here with you and I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon." Kat made a frustrated noise, pulling her hand away and angrily brushing the back of her hands across her face. ""What?" He asked, sensing that there was something more. "I can't help you if I don't know - "

"I failed you!" Kat cried, running her hands through her hair in agitation.

"What?" He breathed, aghast, eyes wide. "Don't be an idiot – "

"From the moment those dropship doors closed, I was certain you were dead!" She exclaimed loudly, shifting once more. "Clarke had faith that you and Finn were still alive the whole time! She believed in you guys and I – I just gave up. I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly. "I've just been so used to people leaving me, of being alone. I felt like I deserved it - "

"You are an idiot," Bellamy snapped angrily, shaking his head. Kat blinked in shock, freezing. "You have nothing to apologize for, Kat. It was a shitty situation for both of us and we did the best we could. Do you need forgiveness? Fine. You're forgiven. But I'm not mad or upset or disappointed. I'm just glad that you're here with me. Safe." Unable to help himself, Bellamy reached for her, pulling her into his lap again and holding her tightly, resting his chin on top of her head and felt his body relax with hers. "You deserve everything, Katerina Hale," he told her fiercely, the truth of it burning through him. "And I'm going to do whatever it takes to prove it to you."

Kat pulled back, watching him with her stormy grey eyes, her head tilted to the side. "I know I don't deserve you," she murmured softly, tracing her thumb across his bottom lip. After a moment she let out a sudden snort, nose crinkling. "Fuck, what is wrong with me? You've turned me into some emotional, blubbery… _girl._"

He grinned at her, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. "I happen to like this side of you," he admitted. "I like when your walls come down and you let me see what's inside. I like when you tell me what you're feeling."

Kat sighed, leaning against Bellamy's chest and closing her eyes, smiling slightly when his arms tightened around her. She stiffened after a moment when the sound of laughter and loud talking reached them from right outside the tent. "I wish we could just stay here forever, not have to face anybody else or the real world. Just you and me. Preferably in bed," she smirked, leaning up and nipping his chin gently.

A second later Kat found herself lying on her back, Bellamy leaning over her with hunger in his eyes and an answering smirk on his face. "I think I can be persuaded of that," he murmured, lowering his head and capturing her lips with his. He leisurely kissed her, taking his time when a sudden idea struck him, one so brilliant and crazy that he couldn't believe he had even thought of it in the first place.

"Bellamy?" Kat asked, pulling back when she noticed that he was distracted. He blinked and looked down at her confused frown. The sight of her darker, stormy grey eyes made him hesitate, but he forced himself to think about the plan that was currently brewing in his mind instead. He kissed her once more before rolling off her and hurriedly pulling his pants on. Kat sat up, looking down at her naked body and over to where he was getting dressed and leaving with a bewildered look on her face. "What are you doing? What happened to spending the day in bed?"

"I just had an idea, I have to take care of something real quick," he told her, focusing on shrugging and his shirt and shoving his feet back into his boots. He looked over to her and did a double take, his eyes narrowing and his jaw working as he bit back a desperate groan. "Put some damn clothes on," he ordered her in a husky voice. "Then meet me by the back of Camp Jaha, where we snuck out to go look for – where we snuck out the last time," he amended at the dark look on Kat's face when he was about to mention Finn.

"I don't understand! Bellamy!" She called to his retreated back. Huffing in annoyance, she flopped back down on the bed, crossing her arms.

Bellamy, meanwhile, was striding through the camp, ignoring everything around him as he headed to Raven's workstation. He paused in the doorway, his eyes sweeping across the room, relief flooding through him when he didn't see Wick in sight. He raised his fist to knock on the door, but froze when Raven suddenly threw whatever she was working on across the room, cursing as she took one arm and swept everything off the table, the metal crashing loudly against the floor.

"Hey," Bellamy called softly as she braced her hands against the table, breathing heavily. Her head snapped around to look at him. "Are you alright?"

The fight left her as she wiped a weary hand across her face. "Fine," she answered shortly.

Bellamy entered the room, examining her in concern. She looked stressed and agitated, the purple bags under her eyes indicating how exhausted she was. "Have you slept at all?"

"I couldn't," she admitted, avoiding his eyes as she began to gather the things that she had thrown. He knelt to help her, unsure of what to say. When they finished, she finally looked at him. "I just kept thinking of all those people he…. Killed," Raven whispered, swallowing harshly and looking ill. "That's not the boy that I fell in love with. That's not the boy who shared his rations with me or the boy who took the blame for wasting three month's worth of oxygen so that I wouldn't get floated."

Bellamy frowned, trying to understand what she was saying. "What are you talking about?" He paused. "Raven?"

She blinked and shook her head, mustering a smile and hiding her pain. "Nothing. I don't want to talk about it. Was there something you needed?"

Bellamy, who was still watching her closely, was momentarily confused by her question before remembering his plan. "Right. I need a favor."

"A favor?" Raven repeated, looking curious. "What kind of favor?"

"I need you to shut down that section of the fence again, the same one we used yesterday."

"Why?" Suspicion colored her tone, her eyes narrowing. "Are you and Clarke planning something? Does this have anything to do with Finn?"

"No!" Bellamy interrupted quickly, cutting her off before she could get worked up again. "No, nothing like that." When Raven raised her eyebrows expectantly, he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is going to sound selfish. But the Council is going take hours if not days to come to a decision and Kat has been through so much… I just want to get her out of here for the day. Away from all this."

"And where will you go?" She asked, shaking her head. "Don't be stupid, Bellamy, it's too dangerous. With everything that's going on with the grounders recently, nowhere is safe."

"I appreciate your concern, Raven, I do. But I know where the grounders territory is and they're not going to retaliate by killing the two of us. After what happened, they're going to do something much, much worse." Raven shuddered at his dark tone, at what they both knew was coming for them, for their people. "All hell is going to break loose, Raven," he implored, catching her eye again. "Can you feel it? It's like – "

"The calm before the storm," Raven whispered, her brown eyes filled with dread. "Alright," she suddenly said. "I'll do it. But it's gotta be now, before the rest of the camp wakes up."

"Thank you," Bellamy breathed, grinning widely. "I'll just need five minutes to grab a pack."

"I'm going to have to turn the fence back on during the day or one of the guards will notice. You have the best chance of sneaking back in tomorrow morning – they patrol the fence at night, watching the forest, but they change shifts when the sun rises."

"You're amazing, Raven!" He surprised her by pulling her into a quick hug before hurrying for the door. He paused with his hand on the doorframe, turning back to look at her, his face serious once more. "Hey… you know we're here for you, right? Kat and I?"

Raven crossed her arms, a smirk crossing her face. "Wow, Kat's really changed you, huh? Are you just a big softy now?" She teased.

"Shut up, Reyes," he snorted, rolling his eyes. "You're a pain in the ass, don't get me wrong. But you saved all of our lives multiple times – you're one of us."

Her face softened, and though she looked slightly embarrassed, he could also see the gratitude in her eyes as she nodded and waved him away. "Go on. You've got five minutes."

Feeling lighter than he had in days, almost giddy with the thought of the look on Kat's face when she found out, Bellamy hurried around the camp, grabbing two packs and beginning to fill them with the supplies that they would need. He was so focused on the task at hand that he didn't notice Clarke standing off to the side, watching him with narrowed eyes.

Once he was ready, he headed for the back of the camp, staying out of sight, a genuine smile crossing his face when he saw Kat was there waiting for him, her arms crossed. She was wearing clothes, thankfully – she was entirely too distracting without them. Her eyes took in the packs he was carrying and a confused frown crossed her face as she looked up at him. "What's all that for? What's going on, Bell?"

His smile widened at the nickname that she had picked up from Octavia. He tossed a pack to her and shrugged on his own. "I'm breaking you out of here, Kitten."

Her gaze jumped from him to the packs to the fence then back to him. Her confusion was gone in an instant and Bellamy had to blink in awe as a rare, breathtaking smile took over her face, her cheeks flushing and her eyes lighting up. Bellamy's heart ached at how beautiful she was then soared because he was the one who caused this reaction. The sound of her delighted laugh washed over him as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. Bellamy staggered backwards a few steps in astonishment at her enthusiasm, his hands just coming up around her waist as she pulled away, beaming. "What are we waiting for?" She asked breathlessly. "Let's go!"

She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the fence. "And just where are you two planning on going?" A voice sounded from behind them, making them freeze in place.

They turned around, hands still threaded together to see Clarke standing there with her arms crossed and a disappointed look on her face. Kat made a face at her. "Why do I feel like I'm about to be grounded by my mother?" She asked out loud, directed at nobody in particular.

"Why do you two insist on making me feel like I have to?" Clarke countered, walking closer to them. "You look like you're about to sneak out of camp, which couldn't possibly be true because that would be stupid, reckless and impulsive."

"Geez, Blondie, tell us how you really feel," Kat muttered. Bellamy glanced at her to see that her happy mood was fading, the irritation beginning to settle in.

Bellamy swung his glare around to Clarke, angry at her for taking away Kat's smile. "Is it reckless and impulsive? Maybe. But we need this, Clarke. We need to get away from all this bullshit and you don't need us here." He saw Clarke narrow her eyes and open her mouth to argue but he cut her off before she could get started. "We're going, Clarke, and you can't stop us."

"Actually, with one shout I could have all the guards in the camp come running."

Bellamy could hardly believe one girl could possibly be so meddlesome. "This is none of your fucking business, Griffin – "

"It is, actually, especially if the two of you are so insistent on getting yourselves killed – "

"Let them go, Clarke." They looked over to see Octavia walking up to them, taking in the scene with a knowing look on her face.

"Octavia – " Clarke tried, shock and exasperation on her face.

"You've seen first hand what these two have been through," Octavia told her. Bellamy frowned, tilting his head to the side slightly as he studied his sister. Her voice sounded weird – both hard and hollow at the same time. "Give them the day off. A day without worrying or having to deal with any problems. They deserve that much, don't they?"

Bellamy could see the uncertainty cross Clarke's face and he pressed on. "I brought weapons with me. I know where we're going and it's not by the grounder boundary line. Trust me, Clarke," he pleaded, looking at her imploringly. "Please."

Clarke sighed and a swooping sensation rushed through him triumphantly – they had won. "Alright," she conceded, suddenly looking exhausted as she rubbed at her temples. "Fine. I'll cover for you. Be careful. And don't get yourselves killed." With one last warning glare, she turned on her heel and strode off in the other direction.

"Don't mind her, she's just overly anxious and uptight about the Council's decision about Finn," Octavia told them, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "You guys go on, have some fun. You deserve it."

"Thanks, O," Bellamy grinned, feeling immensely thankful that his nosy sister had managed to find them. "We'll see you tomorrow."

He turned to go, but stopped and looked down at Kat, who had tugged his hand. There was a confused look on her face as she watched Octavia, a slight frown on her lips. "Octavia?" She asked tentatively. "Are – are you alright?" She sounded uncertain. "Maybe we should stay."

Bellamy looked back at his sister just in time to see a flicker of pain in her eyes just before she covered it with a smile and a wave of her hand. "I'm fine, you guys, don't be ridiculous. We don't know what's going to happen with the grounders or when you're going to get another chance like this. If you don't go now you'll end up regretting it." She saw them hesitate once more and rolled her eyes again. "If you don't leave within the next thirty seconds I'm going to be pissed."

"Well we wouldn't want that," Bellamy said after a moment, grinning. He gently squeezed Kat's hand. "Ready?" He asked her softly.

Kat, who still looked unsure, tore her gaze away from Octavia to nod at him. He pulled her over to the fence before bending down and picking up a rock. He tossed it at the wires to make sure that Raven had turned them off and gestured for Kat to step through before him. He grabbed her hand again and took off running as fast as he could, hoping with everything in his body that the guards were looking the other way and they'd be able to escape into the forest.

Kat never let go of his hand as they ran, dodging trees together and leaping over fallen logs. It was the strangest thing. The farther they ran from the camp, the lighter Bellamy felt. It might seem irresponsible later, but to him it felt like the weight of the responsibility of being a leader with Clarke seemed to shed off of him like a second skin. The tension in his shoulders eased and it felt like he could think clearly for the first time in a long time.

A delighted laugh came from Kat again and he knew he had made the right decision. "Where are we going?" She asked breathlessly, looking up at him with bright eyes.

"You'll see," he told her, looking around and adjusting direction slightly. Kat would never let him live it down if they had to wander the forest all day because he got lost.

They eventually slowed down to a walk, chatting easily about silly, trivial things. Bellamy marveled at how much more open Kat became the farther they got from the camp and the rest of the people from the Ark. She grudgingly talked about her time in Mount Weather and her escape. When she brought up her grounder friend Arian, and how he had helped her sneak out of the grounder village, his first instinct as always was to find an ulterior motive as to why he had been helping her. The more he thought about it, however, he had to reluctantly admit that he had gone against his Commander's wishes, which ended up putting himself at risk.

"I have something of yours," he told her, reaching into his pocket and handing it to her. Kat's curious expression cleared as she took the object, her eyes lighting up when she realized what it was.

"My knife!" She exclaimed happily, flicking it open and examining it. "Where did you get it?

"I found it," he said with a shrug, a small frown on his face as he remembered the day. "We were trying to find the grounder camp because that's who we thought took you. As we were running I thought I saw someone in the forest. I tried to follow him but he got away. That's when I noticed this lying on a log, plain as day. I think… I think it was your grounder friend," he admitted slowly.

Kat grinned, bending down to slip the dagger back in her boot. "That sounds like something Ari would do. He told me that he was keeping on eye on you for me."

Bellamy scoffed feeling offended. "As if I need some grounder looking after me."

Kat shot him a pointed look. "That _grounder_ saved my life Bellamy, more than once." She continued when he looked over at her questioningly. "Besides recently when he found me after Clarke and I escaped, he took an arrow to the chest from one of his own people during the fight at the drop ship. The arrow was meant for me." She looked down, shaking her head. "I thought he died that day."

"Alright," Bellamy grumbled grudgingly. "Maybe _all_ grounders aren't that bad."

Kat sighed. "Unfortunately, nothing in our world is that black and white." As they walked, Kat's expression sobered even further. "Do you think we should have stayed behind with Octavia? She seems so… Different." When he remained silent she made a noise of agitation, pushing her hair away from her face. "I know I'm terrible at picking up social cues and reading emotions, but surely you must have seen it too. She's…. withdrawn. Lost. I don't know!"

Bellamy looked down at her and saw the worry in her eyes, worry for his sister. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop, turning her to face him. A small smile crossed his lips as he fondly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The guilt trickled through as his sister's strong, brave face popped up in his mind. His smile faded and he sighed. "I've seen it too, Kat."

"It's because of Lincoln, isn't it?" Kat guessed, looking up at him with wide eyes. "We've been so focused on going through our own shit that we didn't even realize she was going though the same thing."

While the thought of her being this upset because of that grounder didn't sit well with him, he had to admit that she was right. "I guess I kind of fucked up," he sighed, the guilt that he hadn't been there for his little sister returning full force. "Not that she would have let me try and help her. She's more of a suffer in silence, put on a brave face kind of person."

"I guess it runs in the family," Kat teased cheekily, bringing a smile to Bellamy's face once more. "One day and one night," Kat promised, gripping the ends of his jacket and leaning against his chest as she looked up at him. "One last day of selfishness and then we can go and smother Octavia with all the love we can muster. Together."

"Nothing has ever sounded better," he told her honestly, grinning before bending down to peck a kiss on her lips.

"Are we almost there?" Kat asked as they began walking once more. "At this rate by the time we get there we're just going to have to turn around again."

"Almost, actually," he told her, gesturing her to go ahead of him as they broke free of the tree line and looked down the small hill.

"The river?" Kat questioned, sending him a curious glance, a note of something that Bellamy couldn't decipher in her voice.

"Sort of," he answered, taking her hand again and guiding her down the hill and along the rocky riverbank. They followed the natural curve of the river, the sound of the small waterfall reaching them before it came into view. He looked down at the soft noise of surprise from Kat as her eyes widened, taking in the sight. Even he had to admit that it was a beautiful view. It wasn't a large waterfall by any means, but the sound of it falling gracefully into the river from above together with the pretty flowers growing on either side of it made for a very beautiful view. He grinned at the look on Kat's face, feeling immensely proud of himself.

"It still amazes me how beautiful such a harsh and cruel world can be," she murmured, her voice full of both wonder and sadness.

"Most of the time it's not the world that's cruel, just the people living in it," Bellamy reminded her, pulling her hand so they were moving toward the waterfall. "Come on, there's something else I want to show you."

Bellamy could feel her hand tense within his as he led her closer to the waterfall, so close they could feel the cool spray against their skin. "Where are we going?" She asked in confusion, hesitating just next to the waterfall.

He turned his back on the waterfall so that he faced her, taking both his hands in hers. "Trust me, Kitten," he murmured just loud enough for her to hear him, watching the indecision war in her eyes for a moment. He caught her glance at the water with another wide eyed - look that he couldn't decipher. He frowned, but before he could ask her what was wrong she took a deep breath before nodding at him.

He slowly moved backwards, slipping between the water and the rock wall. They came to a small opening in the wall, about a head taller than Bellamy himself and several feet wide. "There's a cave here?" Kat asked in surprise, placing a hand out on the wall and peering inside.

"Sure," Bellamy said easily, stepping inside, dropping his pack and watching Kat look around. It was a little wider once they got inside and slightly cooler. "There are caves all over this mountain. I found this one when we first landed here, we're actually only a few miles away from the dropship."

Kat dropped her pack next to his, sighing and leaning her back against the wall. "Is it strange that I kind of miss living there? Where all we had to worry about was how we were going to find food and what crazy move our tyrant leader was going to make next."

"Tyrant leader?" Bellamy repeated in mock offense, snagging her belt loop and tugging her to him so that she collided with his chest. "I distinctly remember you saying I could never be a leader."

Her hands crept up his chest and over his neck to thread through his hair, absentmindedly scratching her nails against his scalp and sending a delicious shiver down his spine. His hands tightened on her hips but she was staring up at him with such a serious expression that he didn't think she noticed. "I was wrong, it seems," she admitted in a soft voice, her grey eyes capturing him, drawing him in and making his heart beat faster. "You and Clarke – you make a good team, good leaders. The others, they look up to you."

"And you?" He asked, unable to help himself. He waited with bated breath for her answer, needing this more than he realized.

"You're a great leader, Bellamy. You care about your people and are willing to do whatever's necessary to make sure they're safe. You've come a long way from 'whatever the hell we want' and I for one am proud of the changes you've made." Bellamy stared down at her, overwhelmed with the warmth he felt for her and marveling at how far they'd come in the short time that they'd known each other. A wide smirk lit her face. "Just as long as you realize you're not in control of me," she teased, eyes twinkling.

Bellamy smirked back at her, leaning down to press a kiss to her jaw, humming into her neck. "I thought you liked it when I was in control of certain… aspects of our relationship," he murmured softly, pausing to nip gently at her earlobe.

He grinned against her neck at her throaty gasp and the way her hands tightened in his hair. "Is this why you brought me out here?" She asked breathlessly, tilting her head to the side to give him better access. "To have your way with me with no interruptions?"

He paused, pulling back to look at her. Her cheeks were flushed and her pupils were dilated and if Bellamy didn't have her soon he was pretty sure he'd go insane. "Are you complaining?" He asked, his stare filled with a heat he wondered if she could feel.

"Hell no," she grinned, grabbing his face and pulling it to down to hers.

* * *

Several hours and a much-needed nap later, Kat and Bellamy were lounging on the blanket and pillows that he had brought with them, munching on some berries. They were lying perpendicular to each other, Kat's head resting on his stomach, his fingers lazily threading through her hair. She grinned as he held a berry to her lips, taking it from him, her lips brushing against his fingers.

"Do you ever think about what life was like on earth before the nuclear bombings?" Bellamy mused, sighing as he looked back up at the rocky cave.

"What do you mean?" Kat mumbled, sounding sleepy and unconcerned.

"We probably would have grown up in a real home, a place with more than one room. We would have went to a real school, maybe gone away to college, gotten a job doing something we actually enjoy. We wouldn't have had to worry about war, or fighting. We could have had the opportunity to get married, have as many kids as we wanted without living in fear of being killed for it – "

Kat's eyes snapped open, her body tensing. "Marriage?" She repeated in a high-pitched voice. "….kids?"

Bellamy's grin widened at the panicked look on her face and the obvious note of fear in her voice. Struggling to keep a straight face, he said in a calm tone, "Yeah, definitely. I was thinking at least three. Boys are supposedly easier to raise, but I guess we should probably have a girl or two as well – "

Kat sat up straight, turning to look at him with wide eyes, her face pale. When she saw his lips twitch she punched him. "You ass!" She reprimanded, punching him again as he burst out laughing. "That wasn't funny! We've only officially been together for like a week and already you're mentioning kids – "

"Would you relax?" He chortled, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her close, her back to his front. He leaned his chin on her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I was just joking. But we've been together ever since you told me that I was yours like some possessive girlfriend. You were in such an enormous state of denial that you couldn't see it – we weren't seeing anybody else."

"How else was I supposed to keep having sex with you?" Kat asked, shrugging. "I wasn't about to touch you if you had kept your harem on the side. And you were in denial too, tough guy. Maybe not as much as I was, but you wouldn't have gone from your manwhoring ways one minute to in a relationship the next."

"I am yours and you are mine," he mused softly, rubbing his thumb along her arm.

She sighed in contentment. "You know, I think this might be the best idea you've ever had," he heard her say, his gaze wandered down her body, a sight he didn't think he'd ever get used to.

"I'm full of good ideas," Bellamy boasted smugly, grinning at her snort. "You know, we worked up quite a sweat – I say we deserve a quick swim."

"Swim?" Kat repeated in confusion, her eyes flying open as Bellamy suddenly moved, sitting up and putting an arm under her neck and legs, lifting her up and causing her to yelp. He moved toward the entrance to the cave and he felt Kat tense against him as she realized what he was going to do. "No, don't," she told him, shaking her head. "Bellamy, put me down!"

"Don't worry, Kat, it won't be that cold," he joked, as they began to feel the spray from the waterfall.

"No!" Kat shrieked, shocking the hell out of him as her voice echoed off the rock walls. She struggled against him frantically. "Put me down, damn it, put me down!"

He did as she demanded, watching with wide, confused eyes as she backed away back into the cave, her body trembling and her face pale. "What's wrong, Kat?" He asked, moving toward her only to have her back away, eyes wary. "Okay," he murmured, freezing and holding his hands out to the side. "Alright."

It took a minute, but eventually her trembling stopped and her tense position relaxed. "Sorry," she sighed, wiping a hand across her face.

"What was that?" He asked, still feeling confused. "Are you alright?"

"It was just… the thought of you throwing me into the water…" she trailed off, a shudder running through him.

"Ah fuck," Bellamy cursed, closing his eyes briefly as the realization slammed into him. She had mentioned that she had almost drowned after being hit with that dart during her escape from Mount Weather. He couldn't believe what an idiot he had been. "I'm sorry Kat, damn it, I wasn't thinking – "

"Don't be," she interrupted, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "It's just some stupid, childish fear – "

"It's not stupid, Kat – "

"It just – it makes me feel weak," she admitted, crossing her arms.

"I can help you if you want. I kind of taught myself since I've been down here," he told her, shrugging.

"Yeah," Kat nodded hesitantly, though she still looked unsure. "Yeah, okay."

Five minutes later, Bellamy was standing on the bank of the river in just his boxers, Kat next to him in just a tank top and a pair of underwear. "You need to go in on your own terms," he told her, stepping into the water ahead of her. "There's no current here, the water's calm and still. It will only come up a little above your waist." He tried to keep his voice low and even so as not to spook her.

She nodded jerkily before putting one foot into the water, her breath hitching as the cold seeped into her body. "Bellamy," she called out in a strange voice, her eyes jumping to his. "I – I can't move," she admitted in a small voice.

He didn't smile, laugh or tease her, didn't make her feel any worse than she already did and for that she couldn't have been more grateful. He came up behind her, placing his hands on his shoulders and gently massaging her tense muscles, placing a kiss under her ear. "Try and relax," he murmured softly. "Focus on me and the sound of my voice."

"Like the time we hid under the tent because we thought there was acid fog?" She asked in a small voice, her eyes falling shut as she tried to block out the water encasing her feet and focus instead on the feel of his hands and his lips.

"Mhmm," he hummed, moving down her neck. "I remember that time," he mused softly. "You were pressed up against me and all I could think about taking you right then and there, witnesses be damned."

He smiled against her neck as he felt her shiver against him, unconsciously relaxing as his hands moved down her back. "You had started to," she chuckled, her breath hitching as he hit his favorite spot. "If I remember correctly your hands were doing something like this…." She trailed off, reaching behind her to grab his hands, bringing them around her waist and up her stomach until they were grazing the bottom of her breasts.

"As much as I would love to continue this," Bellamy murmured huskily, pushing his desires to the side and regretfully moving his hands back to a safe position on her hips. "We're on a mission and can't afford to get too distracted."

"A mission?" Kat repeated, laughing nervously as he moved out from behind her and gently took her hands. Her hands clenched his fingers as he took a step backward, carefully bringing her with him. It took a long while – every time Kat moved forward her body would seize up again with panic, her muscles locking while her mind wanted to flee. Bellamy, to his credit, was never impatient with her. He never raised his voice from the low, soothing tone that he murmured into her ear. After her muscles would stop trembling and her heart stopped trying to climb out of her throat, she would move another step further until the water moved up her legs and came up to her waist as she stood in the shallow part of the river, a short way from the waterfall.

"See that?" Bellamy murmured, grinning at her. "You're in control, Kat. We'll start out slow – here, the water won't come past your waist. If you want, when you're ready we can move to deeper waters and then I can really teach you how to swim."

Kat shuddered unpleasantly. "Fat chance of that," she muttered under her breath, making Bellamy's lips twitch. He took a step away from her, sinking under the water and swimming in a circle around her before standing again. Kat saw how relaxed and happy he looked at that moment, grinning as he shook out his hair, shaking water droplets on her. "You're pretty good at this whole swimming thing," she commented distractedly, forcing her eyes on his instead of on the water dripping down his chest.

"Yeah, I'm a regular Poseidon," he snorted, evidently finding himself funny.

Kat, however, just looked confused. "Who?"

"Poseidon," he repeated, as if the name should mean something to her. "You know, the god of the sea. It's from Greek mythology." He shrugged at the strange look on her face. "It was a big hobby of mine for a long time. That and history, which always seemed mystical to me as well. Like the events on earth before the bombings was from a whole 'nother world."

Kat frowned at him, looking troubled. "I didn't know that."

"Why would you?" He asked, shrugging again.

"It was such a big part of your life, part of who you are," Kat mused, head tilted to the side, a crease between her eyebrows. "…. Even after everything we've been through, we still don't know much about each other, do we?"

Bellamy straightened, frowning himself now. She seemed genuinely upset by this revelation and he didn't miss the undertone of doubt and uncertainty in her voice. Determination filled him – he'd be damned if he let Kat doubt their relationship now that he finally got her back and both of them were in this one hundred percent.

"Who we were on the Ark may have been a big part of our lives growing up, but every since we landed here it doesn't matter anymore. I know you, Katerina Hale. We may not have learned everything about each other yet, but that's okay." He saw the doubt on her face and continued. "You need some examples? Fine. Even though you had a fucking sick bastard for a father, your first instinct is to help and protect people. Even though you pretend to be this cold, unfeeling person in order to protect yourself, you care… a lot."

"Bellamy… "Kat looked away at his words, swallowing harshly.

He gently gripped her chin and turned her face so she was looking at him once more. "I know that you're emotionally constipated and while that's often frustrating I also find it extremely cute. I know that you're not afraid to speak your mind when you feel something is being done wrong. I know that you constantly feel surprised when someone shows they care for you." He stepped up closer to her, enjoying the fact that she had to tilt her head up to maintain eye contact with him. He stopped, their chests just millimeters from touching. He couldn't help but notice how Kat looked in her tank top without a bra, her pupils dilating at his nearness, her nipples hardening. "I know that for someone who didn't know what sex was up until a month ago, you're incredibly responsive. I know that when I kiss you here…." He leaned down, not touching any other part of her except his lips, kissing just underneath her jaw, right above her pulse. "Your breath hitches." Unable to help himself, his voice dropped to a husky murmur and his own breathing grew shallow. "I know that when I touch you here…" His hand slid around her waist and lightly drifted over the small of her back. "You shiver. And here… your back arches." His hand gently cupped and massaged her breast, enjoying the way it fit perfectly in his hand. "And I know that when I touch you here…" his hand slowly slipped down her stomach to cup her through the water. As his fingers started moving, her arms shot out to grip his biceps, her mouth opening on a gasp as her head tilted back. He watched her, enraptured. "You become so wild, uninhibited and so fucking _sexy_ that I never feel that I can control myself with you."

His finger slipped inside and Kat let out a raspy whimper. "I swear to god, Bellamy, if you don't kiss me _right now_ – "

His lips crashed down to hers, and they were off again, caught up in the intense heat and passion that always seemed to overtake them when they touched. He would have liked to take it slow, to show her the love that he was feeling, but her chest was pressing up against his and her hand was slipping down his stomach and inside his boxers to check if he was ready. He didn't know why she bothered. All she had to do was be near him and he was ready to go off.

Her tongue slipped inside his mouth as she stroked him, his hips gently thrusting against her hand. She pulled his boxers down lower and his hands slipped down her thighs so he could lift her. He pushed her underwear to the side as she wrapped her legs around his waist and he paused at her entrance, pulling away to look at her. Their gazes clashed as they stared at each other for a long moment, breathing heavily. Her legs trembled around his waist and his hands dug into her thighs.

Slowly, excruciatingly, Kat lowered herself onto him, her eyelids fluttering shut. Bellamy's mouth dropped open at the feeling, a moan of satisfaction wrenched from his throat until he was sheathed inside her. Kat panted, resting her forehead against his, her arms wrapped around his neck.

Slipping his hands from her thighs to her waist, he held her steady as he slowly pulled out before slamming inside her again, both of them groaning. He tried to go slower, he really did, but her legs tightened around his waist, hips moving against his and his pace increased, his teeth clenched. The fire consumed both of them until nothing else mattered. Her body shook with the force of his thrusts but she didn't seem to mind, she seemed to revel in it actually. She whispered encouraging words into his ear, spurring him on, pausing every so often as her voice caught on a whimper or a moan.

"Shit," she groaned as he somehow increased his pace once more. She unthreaded her arms from around his neck and took his face between her hands, pressing her lips to his and kissing him enthusiastically. He grunted as he felt her walls begin to flutter around him. She broke away from him, breath hitching unevenly, her hands still on his face. Making sure she had his attention, her eyes locked on his, she whispered his name as her eyes widened and unfocused, her legs clamping around him as her mouth opened in a silent scream.

Knowing that Kat wanted him to see her reaction because she knew he liked it caused him to shut his eyes as a jolt of pleasure ran through him. It would have been enough to put him over the edge, but she slipped her hands into his hair, tugging slightly and ordering, "Eyes, Bellamy."

They snapped open, a sharp cry coming from his throat as he let go, slowing his thrusts as he shuddered violently, legs weak. "God Kat," he panted after his breathing slowed down a bit, kissing her again.

She pulled away, eyes bright. "Let's not go back," she told him, causing his eyes to widen. "Let's just run away from here. No fighting, no problems, no complications. Just you and me."

* * *

**Author's Note: I debated whether or not I wanted to include this chapter for a long time. But in the end I wanted to give Kat and Bellamy a short break after everything that they've been through. And giving what's coming in the next few chapters I hope you guys will thank me for this!**

**I just want to take a moment to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for being so kind and understanding. I know a lot of author's on here get nasty PM's or reviews if it's been a while since they updated. Everybody that contacted me asking when I was going to update was polite and considerate and I'm so thankful I have such wonderful readers :)**

**Alright, mushiness over. Don't forget to review and let me know what you think of the chapter! Can't believe this story is already almost at 200 reviews :)**


	8. Back to Reality

**Author's Note: Oh man, I don't know if I can apologize enough for my long absence. These past two months have been kind of insane for me. I'm finishing up my last semester of grad school (yay!) but that means final papers (boo). Also I have to move twice within the next month. But anyway – sorry guys! Your reviews have kept me motivated, though, so keep them coming! I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter :)**

**Special thanks for Dannylionthe1st for the quick turnaround on this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Back to Reality

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Kat asked one more time, grabbing Bellamy's hand and tugging in order to stop him.

He turned to look at her with a slightly exasperated sigh. They were almost back to Camp Jaha. Bellamy shifted his pack before cupping her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing her cheeks for a moment as he smiled down at her. "We've already been over this, Kitten," he reminded her gently. "We both agreed that while running away would seem easier, we can't just abandon our friends. And I can't leave my sister behind."

"I know," Kat sighed as his hands came to rest on either side of her neck, her eyes fluttering shut as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "I don't want to leave Octavia either. Or Raven or Clarke or anyone else. It's just… I'm tired of all the fighting and death." He pulled her in close, her arms circling around his waist and leaning her head against his chest. "It's changing us, Bell, it's changing all of us. And I'm not sure it's for the better."

"I know," Bellamy agreed in a heavy voice, resting his chin on top of her head. "But we're doing the best we can given the situation we've found ourselves in, Kat. The only thing we can do is stick together and lean on each other for help."

"You mean _our_ group, right?" Kat clarified with a raised eyebrow as she pulled back, her arms still around his waist. "Cause I don't consider the Arkers part of our group. They were the one's responsible for sending us down here in the first place and they haven't been through the same shit that we have."

A crooked grin crossed his face. "You're such a people person," he teased, causing her to scoff and attempt to push him away. He just tightened his grip on her, laughing. "Relax, I'm just kidding! I get what you mean about the original group. We trust them and confide in them…" He paused, his smile fading as a serious look crossed his face. "But if one of the Arkers is in trouble, then I'm going to do my best to help them. I don't know if I could live with myself if I didn't."

Kat looked up at him in quiet consideration. "You're just a big softie now aren't you, Blake?" Her words were meant to be teasing and she succeeded in making his somber expression break. But his words stayed with her, even as he threaded their hands together and started walking again.

She was in awe of the person that he had become. He had gone from the scared and angry, 'Whatever the hell we want' guy and transformed himself into a strong man who genuinely cared about the people he was responsible for. And now, that included more than their group – it included narrow minded, short-sighted people who would kill hundreds of their own to save a few months of oxygen.

Kat, on the other hand, couldn't get past the fact that they had sent her and the others down here to die. She couldn't just forgive and forget. Did that make her weak in some way? Narrow minded like the others?

A thin thread of worry began to eat at her. She knew she was emotionally stunted, but had her experiences growing up caused her to develop into a terrible person?

She looked up at him again as they walked. There was a small smile playing around the edges of his mouth. He seemed so relaxed, so at ease with who he was. As she watched him, she felt her mangled, broken heart swell with wonder, appreciation and gratitude.

Before she knew what she was doing she was tugging on his hand again and he was looking down at her questioningly. "Thank you," she began, feeling like that was nowhere close to what she was really wanted to say. "Thank you for giving me the best day of my life yesterday. I love you," she murmured, looking away at the last minute.

He gently turned her chin in time for her to see her favorite crooked grin spread across his face. His warm brown eyes were twinkling. "Did you know that's the first time you were the one to say 'I love you' first?" She felt her face flushing, but she found couldn't look away from him. "I love you too, baby," he told her proudly, pressing a sweet kiss to her lips before slipping his arms around her waist. She would never admit that her heart skipped a beat at the new nickname.

"What do you think is going to happen with Finn?" Kat asked after a moment. The question had popped into her head more than once over the past twenty-four hours, but she had pushed it away, determined to be happy and enjoy her time alone with Bellamy.

The mood between the two of them sobered instantly and she immediately regretted bringing it up. She should have talked about something lighter, prolonged their peaceful bubble for as long as she could. But it was too late to take it back now.

Bellamy's weary sigh told her that he had been thinking about it as well. "I don't know," he told her honestly. "It all depends on what the council decides."

"If there was no council… would you pardon him?"

It was a weighted question and she appreciated the fact that he took it seriously, thinking for a moment before he answered. "Pardon him?" He repeated slowly. "Yeah, I think I would. He's one of us and we need every man that we have. Forgive him though? I don't think I could." He gave her a sideways glance when she remained silent. "You don't agree?" He guessed.

She knew she had to choose her next words carefully. "I know in some ways I'm like Finn. We've both killed people, but I feel like it's different. All the people that I've killed were trying to kill me. They were armed and it was either them or me. But with Finn…. Those people were innocent, Bell. He was holding them captive, they didn't have any weapons on them… there were children!" She shook her head in both disappointment and disgust, though her eyes betrayed her anger. "I just don't know how you can ever come back from something like that."

"So what would you do with him?" Bellamy asked in a quiet voice, eyes on the ground.

"I don't know," Kat shrugged helplessly. "Banish him like we did with Murphy?" A crooked, self-deprecating grin crossed her face. "I'm just the muscle that occasionally kills people when needed. That's why you're the leader."

Bellamy rolled his eyes. "We really need to work on your self-image."

Their conversation came to a halt as they reached the edge of the forest. A couple hundred yards away stood Camp Jaha, the sun rising just behind it as people started emerging from their night's slumber. "How many new problems do you think there have been since we've been gone?" Kat asked sarcastically.

"Knowing our people?" Bellamy answered. "Probably at least five." He sighed, removing his arm to grab her hand. "Let's hope Reyes has remembered to deactivate the fence. Ready?"

She nodded, and together they ran across the clearing towards the back of the camp. They paused before the fence as Bellamy bent to pick up a rock to cautiously throw to make sure the electricity wasn't currently running through it. The rock clattered off it harmlessly and the two of them slipped through.

Sure enough, they had barely made it five steps inside the camp before Clarke was striding toward them, a grim expression on her face. "I hope you guys actually got some sleep," she began, giving them a piercing look before gesturing them to follow her. "We're moving out in fifteen minutes."

Kat and Bellamy shared a dark glance, their one-day of peace already seeming like a distant memory. "What's happened?" Bellamy asked, easily slipping into leader mode. Kat trailed a few steps behind, listening as the two of them spoke.

"A lot," Clarke admitted as they entered the center of the camp. A few guards rushed by them carrying packs. Kat turned to watch them with a frown, noticing that the camp was busier than it usually was at this time of the morning. They had been lucky to make it in without being spotted. "Last night Raven figured out why we couldn't contact any of the other Ark stations. It turns out Mount Weather is jamming our signal. We're going to blow the tower."

"And your mom is letting you go?" Bellamy asked, raising his eyebrow doubtfully.

"In a way," Clarke sighed, rubbing a weary hand over her face. "She's insisted on coming with us and she's bringing a few guards along."

"Well I guess that's better than noth – "

"What the hell is _he_ doing out?" Kat interrupted in a loud, hard voice. "And why the fuck does he have a pack?"

Finn must have heard her because he glanced over at them, taking in their expressions one by one and stopping at the look on Kat's face. He must have seen the disgust and fury in her eyes, because hurt flashed through his own before his expression shuttered and he turned to walk away. Clarke stared off after him for a moment before answering. "The council cleared both him and Murphy last night. He's the best tracker we've got."

"They cleared him?" Kat asked in disbelief, her eyes wide. "After everything he's done?"

"I think 'bigger fish to fry' were the exact words that Murphy used," Clarke muttered drily, shaking her head before continuing on.

"Un-fucking-believable," Kat cursed under breath.

"Hey, you guys made it!" Raven called as they approached her tent. She had a big grin on her face, as well as her leg brace and a pack of her own.

"Made it from where?" Another voice asked, and Kat's heart nearly stopped in her chest as Abby Griffin approached, flanked by five or six guards.

"From their tent, obviously," Raven laughed, not missing a beat. "I didn't think they would ever get out of bed."

Abby frowned at this new information, her eyes flickering over to look at Kat. "You guys are sharing a tent?" She asked, eyes narrowing. "As in together?"

Bellamy shifted uncomfortably, but Kat just felt annoyed and pissed off. She glanced at Bellamy to see if he would say anything, but he wasn't looking at either of them. She crossed her arms, scowling at the older woman. "That is none of your business, Dr. Griffin. You're not my mother."

Abby, displeased with her answer, opened her mouth to argue but Clarke cut her off. "We don't have time for this," she interrupted, turning to face her friends. "Finish gathering your supplies together and meet us by the gate. We have a long walk ahead of us."

Kat sent one last dark look at Abby before heading towards their tent, Bellamy following behind her. She waited until they were out of earshot before punching him hard in the arm. "Ow, what the fuck – "

"Yeah, what the fuck, Blake?" She hissed, feeling so pissed off that she punched him again. "Thanks a lot for sticking up for us against Abby!"

He looked guilty, running a hand over his hair. "I didn't even ask if you wanted your own tent, I just assumed – "

"You assumed correctly, you ass! Since when do you care what other people think?"

"I don't know – I don't! I just – I froze, I guess."

Kat brushed aside the entrance to the tent and began to empty her pack, a frown on her face as she concentrated on her task. She emptied out her dirty clothes, leaving the extra supplies and the packing tent in the bag. "After everything that happened during this drip and everything that you said, I thought that we were both in a good place, that we were sure about this – this – " she waved her hands, stumbling on the word and feeling awkward. "_Relationship_," she finally got out.

"I am!" Bellamy insisted hotly, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet so she would look at him. "I promise you, I've never been more sure of anything in my life! I'm sure of you, I'm sure of us! It's just…. I don't know. Abby is the only mother-type figure down on the ground, and as soon as she said that I was thinking about what my mother would say. Or your mother even!"

Kat's body relaxed now that she understood his hesitation. "Well I don't know about your mother, but I would like to think that mine would understand what we have and the current lives that we are living." She paused, threading her arms around his neck, and looking up into his warm brown eyes. "Let them think whatever they want, Bell. I don't care what anyone else thinks – all that matters is you and Octavia. And occasionally Clarke."

He nodded, his smile so big that it crinkled up to his eyes. She felt his thumbs tracing on her lower back as his hands rested on her waist. "I'm sorry, Kitten. I won't ever hesitate when it comes to us again. I promise."

"You better not," Kat murmured against his lips as he bent to kiss her. She gently nipped his bottom lip. "Otherwise I'll have to kick your ass. And you know I could."

* * *

**Clarke's POV**

"It was a good idea to bring them." Clarke looked over and saw her mother coming up to walk next to her before looking over her shoulder. Bellamy had just called out another piece of advice about the forest, this time about keeping an eye up into the trees. He was trailing towards the back of the group, and not too far from him was Kat, chatting quietly with Octavia. She took a moment to observe her friend. Kat still had the sword strapped to her back, but she no longer looked like a grounder and she had to grudgingly admit that the trip seemed to have been good for Kat. Something about her seemed lighter – more at ease.

"Your guards will get there," Clarke told her, refocusing on the conversation as she turned to face forward. She caught her mother looking back at them as well, a troubled look on her face. She sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Just say it mom. Get it out now where Kat won't be able to hear you."

"She's only 18 years old!" Abby hissed, looking outraged. "He is several years older than her, after everything she's been through do you think she's in the right state of mind – "

Clarke was seriously regretting letting her mother speak. What did it matter anyway? Kat wasn't her daughter, why was she so concerned about Kat's relationship with Bellamy? Ever since her father died, Clarke was noticing more and more of her mothers flaws. The fact that she was passing judgment on everybody but herself, without knowing anything that had been going on, the fact that she thought she knew what was best grated on her already frayed nerves. "Okay, you can stop talking now," she interrupted, holding up her hand. "Kat is 18 years old, she's not a child anymore. Frankly, she stopped being a child when she was about five. Your judging her relationship with Bellamy based on numbers and your skewed moral compass." She paused, suddenly struck by words that Kat had said to her when they first landed here. '_Well I'm sorry I can't be more like you, Blondie. Sitting high on my mighty horse with my moral compass_constantly_pointing north.'_ Hell, she hoped that Kat didn't think she was anything like her mother. "Since Kat has been down here, since she has been with Bellamy, she has grown in unbelievable ways. She's saved lives, she's saved my life, and she's opening up and really _living_ for the first time." She made sure her mother was looking at her as she continued. "Don't mess with their relationship, mom. It's real, it's pure and I've never seen anything like it."

Her mother was watching her with shrewd eyes. "For years you tried to befriend Kat Hale. I take it you finally succeeded?"

An image of Wells flashed in front of her mind and a sad smile lifted Clarke's lips. "Someone once showed me that you never give up on your friends no matter how hard they try to push you away."

Her mother nodded slowly, taking her in with an expression that Clarke couldn't quite decipher. "Alright," she finally agreed in a solemn voice. "I won't get in their way, but it doesn't mean I won't keep an eye on her. I failed that girl up on the Ark. I was her doctor, I saw all her injuries and I never did anything about it. I won't make that same mistake again."

* * *

**Kat's POV**

"So how was your day with my brother?" Octavia asked, glancing at her as they followed the rest of the group through the forest.

Kat couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. "It was perfect. Honestly the best day of my life."

"That's good," Octavia nodded, giving her a small smile back. "You can keep all the gory details to yourself though."

"Are you sure?" Kat teased, knocking her shoulder. "Because I can give you an in depth play by play – "

"Ugh, god no!" Octavia interrupted quickly, scrunching up her face. "I think my ears would start bleeding." She spoke again as their chuckles died down. "I know you two are all about each other now, but just remember that you were my friend before you became his girlfriend."

This time it was Kat who made a face. "Girlfriend? He never asked me to be his girlfriend. It sounds so juvenile. Boyfriend and girlfriend? What are we twelve – "

"Well, what would you call yourselves then?"

"Why do we have to call ourselves anything?" Kat countered, feeling thrown off balance. "We're just… Bellamy and Kat," she shrugged, gesturing helplessly. "If we put a label on it – "

"Kat. Relax," Octavia laughed, rolling her eyes. "You don't have to put a label on it, but you know what I mean. I'm just glad you two idiots found each other. I'm happy that you're happy."

Kat heard the wistful, pained tone to her voice and her mood sobered further. "What about you? How are you doing? And don't brush it off, O, I really want to know."

Octavia sighed, looking away. "I'm hanging in there. It's the only option I have right now. I'm glad that we're doing this, it's better to keep my mind occupied."

"I know how you feel," Kat agreed, remembering the exact feeling when she thought Bellamy was dead. "And I know I've said this before, but I'll help you do whatever is necessary to find Lincoln and bring him back. No questions asked."

Octavia reached over and squeezed Kat's hand gratefully with a small, pained smile. "Thanks Kat. It means a lot. Listen - "

"Am I missing girl talk?" Raven asked with a wide grin, interrupting them as she slung her arms over their shoulders and looking between them. "What's the topic? The number of times Bellamy used to tongue to make Kat – "

"What the fuck?" Octavia yelped, pushing Raven away with a disgusted noise. "That's my brother, you ass!"

Laughing, Kat noticed Bellamy glance back at the commotion. His eyes lingered on his sister who was still half-heartedly cursing Raven out with amusement in her eyes and switched to Kat, who winkedat him. _Thank you,_ he mouthed, and Kat knew what he meant. For the first time since Lincoln had gone missing, Octavia didn't seem miserable, for the moment at least. Kat missed her friend, more than she thought she would. It was almost worse than thinking that Octavia was dead. Now it was like Octavia was here, but at the same time she wasn't. She was missing the spark of life that solely belonged to her.

Kat looked back over to her friends as their laughter and argument died down. "Did you tell her the plan?" Raven asked Octavia in a hushed voice after looking around carefully.

"What plan?" Kat interrupted with a frown.

Octavia sent Raven an exasperated look. "I was getting to it, but you interrupted me with your disgusting comments." She gently shoved Raven out of the way so she was walking next to Kat and continued to speak softly. "The rest of the group thinks we're on a mission to take out Mount Weather' communication tower. Clarke has different plans for us. She pulled Bellamy and I aside before we left – she wants us to find a way into Mount Weather."

"I'm coming with you," Kat said immediately. She didn't want to be separated from either of the Blake's and she would very much rather find a way inside to help the people that she left behind.

"Duh," Octavia replied, giving her a weird look. "Why do you think I'm telling you this, because I like to hear myself talk?"

Kat felt her body relax with relief. "When do we leave?"

"Now," Raven answered. "I'm going back up front to help Clarke distract Abby so she doesn't realize you guys are missing." She gave them both a grin and a wink. "Good luck. Be safe."

"You too," Octavia nodded. As Raven casually strolled up to the front, she touched Bellamy's arm as she passed. He glanced down at her and nodded before shortening his stride until he was level with Octavia and Kat.

They watched the other guards carefully for a few, silent moments, making sure they were the last people in their group before Bellamy gave them the signal and they melted way into the trees. They jogged in the opposite direction, trying to put some distance between them and the rest of the group. It was a while before they felt safe enough to slow down.

"So now what?" Octavia asked, looking around but seeing nothing out of the ordinary but the side of the mountain. "Do we have any clue as to what we're supposed to be looking for?"

Bellamy was the one who answered. "According to Clarke, before the bombs there used to be buildings everywhere along here. I'm guessing that some of them had access to the bunker. We're looking for any type of ruins, anything that's man made."

"And if we find it?" Kat asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. We make note of where it is, if there are guards and how many and anything else that might be important." He stopped and swung around to look at them, making sure he had their attention before continuing on, his face deadly serious. "Nothing else. Do you two understand me? Even if we see a way inside of Mount Weather, we can't take it. Not without more information – it's too dangerous. We need to be smart about this."

Kat raised her eyebrows innocently. "What's the matter, Bellamy don't you trust us?" She grinned, patting him on the chest before walking past him.

"Yeah, Bell, we would never do anything to cause any trouble," Octavia joined in, pinching him on the arm as she followed Kat.

"Oh, that's real cute!" He called after them, hurrying to keep up. "The thought of the two of you on a mission together is actually terrifying. You guys are the definition of trouble."

"And yet you love us anyway," Octavia grinned, a mischievous look in her eyes.

He shrugged helplessly, his own smile crossing his face. "I can't argue with you there." They all grinned at each other like idiots, briefly forgetting about the plan and enjoying this rare moment alone together.

"Blake!" A deep male voice called, causing them all to freeze. "Hale! Let's go, right now!"

Kat narrowed her eyes in annoyance before turning around. _How did they find us?_

"In case you've forgotten, we're not under your command," Bellamy called back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't make us do this the hard way," the guard threatened, coming to stand before them, flanked by two other guards.

"Come on, Scott!" Bellamy urged, his frustration leaking through as he shifted impatiently. "47 of our people are prisoners inside this mountain!"

"And that's why we're out here – "

"Wrong. You're out here to find other stations of the Ark. We're out here to find our friends."

Kat jumped, losing track of the conversation as she felt something run over her foot. When she looked down and saw what it was, she made a surprised noise of disgust, skipping backward as hundreds of small mice ran past her, squeaking loudly.

"Bell!" Octavia called, her eyes fixed on the mice.

He stopped arguing with the guard and looked over at them. "What are they doing?" The guard asked curiously.

"Running," Bellamy murmured, watching them with his head tilted toward the side.

"Running from what?" Kat asked, shuddering slightly as she watched them. She felt like she needed to bathe.

"Acid fog!" Bellamy shouted in a panicked voice, his eyes widening. "We need cover, now!" He ran over to help the guards who were fumbling with their packs, but Kat's eyes were on Octavia, who was still watching the mice, obviously thinking.

"Octavia?" Kat asked, frowning. "What is it?"

"This way," she murmured, jogging after the mice. Grimacing, Kat followed her around the side of the mountain.

"O!" She heard Bellamy yell. "Kat! Get back here!"

They ignored him, hurrying forward. "Look!" Kat exclaimed excitedly. "They've disappeared inside!"

"Bell!" Octavia yelled over her shoulder, scrabbling at the rock wall to find an entrance. "There's something in here!" She told him when he appeared behind them. "It might be the ruins."

Bellamy called the guard Scott over as Octavia found an old door handle in the rock wall. Heart pounding in her throat, Kat watched them anxiously as they struggled. She peered around the wall and her eyes widened. "Guys, hurry up! We're running out of time!"

"One, two, three, pull!" Bellamy shouted, yanking with all his might, the tendons in his neck standing out as he gritted his teeth. The two of them were finally able to pull the door open. Bellamy shoved Kat and Octavia inside, Scott diving in after them. "Let's go!" He yelled at the other two guards who were still being idiots and trying to get the tents out of their packs.

One of the guards listened immediately, but the other fell behind, a look of pure terror on his face as he finally got up and started running. When he saw his man in trouble, Scott tried to lunge past Bellamy to help. Bellamy grabbed him by the back of the shirt and yanked him back inside.

"Close the door!" Kat yelled, seeing the fog approach. "Now, Bellamy!"

He did, slamming it shut with an echoing bang. The resulting silence was almost deafening. "So," Octavia whispered to Kat. Although Kat couldn't see here, she could hear the grin in her voice. "You can take on grounders and reapers, but a little tiny mouse freaks you out?"

"Shut up," Kat growled, punching in the direction of her voice and smirking when she made contact. One by one everybody pulled out their flashlights and clicked them on, scanning their surroundings. "What is this place?" Kat asked the others, her voice seeming loud for the space that they were in. Her light bounced off vehicles, cars that were all stuck inside this one cement room. It was pitch dark, but there was a creepy, sinister feel to the place that made the hairs on the back of Kat's neck stand up.

"It looks like a garage," Bellamy murmured, still looking around.

"More like a tomb," Octavia commented darkly, walking forward slowly, pulling out her sword as she went. Kat followed her lead while Bellamy turned to Scott.

"Look, I'm sorry about your man, but we need to find an access door to Mount Weather."

"Hey, not so fast!" Scott argued when Bellamy turned to leave.

"Sir, that fog will keep us pinned down for another – " He broke off abruptly and Kat looked over to see Scott holding out a handgun.

"We'll split up. Meet back here in fifteen." Bellamy hesitated for a moment before nodding and taking the gun. "Be safe."

"Let's go," Bellamy muttered, turning back to Kat and Octavia.

They walked in silence. Kat shined her light past the cars along the walls, searching for any type of door. There was no natural light, no windows, nothing by the oppressive darkness and the thick, sturdy walls. The air was stale and Kat was finding it hard to breathe, her heart pumping in overtime. She tried telling herself that the walls weren't actually closing in on her, that it was all in her head, but it wasn't working.

Taking deep breaths, Kat tried to distract herself. "Can you imagine if we had one of these?" She asked, peering inside one of the cars. "We'd be able to get anywhere we wanted so much quicker."

"You alright?" Bellamy asked, peering at her in concern. "You sound weird."

"Yeah I'm – "

"Guys look!" Octavia called in excited, a short distance ahead of them. "A door!"

They rushed to it eagerly, but just as Bellamy reached out to open it, the sound of an agonized, pain scream came from the other side of the garage. Kat didn't even stop to think; she just spun on her heel and took off at a cautious run, Bellamy and Octavia on either side of her. They slowed their approach as the sound of music approached them, the tone both upbeat and ominous at the same time. Their lights scanned the floor, but there was no sign of Scott or the other guard.

"Do you guys hear that?" Kat asked quietly, tilting her head to the side. Different sounds reached them over the music… growling, grunting and – was that slurping?

Bellamy reached down and picked up one of the guns that the guards had dropped, cocking it and looking around through the light. His light shined on two crouched figures standing over a third who was lying silent on the floor. It took Kat's brain a few seconds to process what she was seeing. They were _eating_ one of the guards, blood and intestines in their teeth and fingers. Shit.

"Reapers," Octavia breathed in horror. They snapped their heads around at the light, their eyes glowing strangely and their teeth bared. Springing up, the reapers rushed towards them, but Bellamy didn't even hesitate, firing off multiple shots until the reapers went down. He went to give his handgun to Kat, but she shook her head and tightened her grip on her sword. Octavia took the gun and together the three of them slowly continued to walk forward.

Kat looked down at the guard they had been eating (it was so weird to even say that to herself) but there was no chance for him, his throat and chest ripped open. Swallowing the bile rising in her throat, Kat looked away, continuing on. It wasn't long before they found Scott, another grounder leaning over him.

Bellamy lifted his gun, ready to shoot again, but Octavia's arm shot out to stop him. "Don't!" She cried, making Kat jump slightly. "It's Lincoln." Eyes wide, Kat looked back at the reaper who was slowly rising to his feet, a deranged look in his eyes. It had Lincoln's face, but the expression and the attitude were so different that Kat almost couldn't believe it was him. "Lincoln! Lincoln, it's me!" She called to him, her voice thick with emotion. When he didn't pause or show any sign of recognition, Kat heard the fear in her voice. "It's me, Lincoln, it's Octavia!"

Lincoln broke into a run, baring his teeth angrily, but Octavia just stood there, frozen in disbelief, her eyes wide and confused. "Move, Octavia!" Kat shouted, leaping forward when her friend didn't move and tackled her out of the way. They both hit the ground hard. Grimacing, Kat rolled to her feet and looked up to see Lincoln going after Bellamy, who was still holding his gun but obviously afraid to use it given who the reaper was. Kat sprang to her feet and went to go help him but before she could a shot ran out and Lincoln staggered. Kat whipped her head around in surprise to see Octavia holding the gun in front of her, her hand trembling and her eyes wide. Bellamy used the distraction to slam the butt of his gun to Lincoln's head, causing him to collapse to the floor.

Bellamy and Kat rushed over to Octavia and helped the shell-shocked girl up. "We need to get somewhere safe!" Bellamy told them urgently, urging them into a run.

"Where?" Kat panted, wanting to slap Octavia back into awareness. "We'll never have time to find the exit."

"The cars!" Bellamy said suddenly, running over to one and trying all the doors. "See if there's an open one!" She did as he asked, grunting in frustration when she found all the doors were locked. "Over here!" Bellamy hissed, holding a door to a large blue van open and shoving both Kat and Octavia in ahead of him.

He slammed the door behind him and for a moment the only sound in the car was their heavy breathing. Sandwiched between both Blakes, Kat could feel Octavia shaking beside her. It seemed she was finally beginning to snap out of it though. "He's a reaper?" She exclaimed in a shrill voice, her voice full of disbelief. "How is that even possible? He just looked right through me!"

Several things were clicking together inside Kat's brain. The outrageously over guarded door from the bottom floor of Mount Weather popped into her head and she finally understood. "Mount Weather controls the reapers," she found herself murmuring slowly. The other two turned to face her, watching her intently but Kat's eyes were staring blankly ahead. "The door. That's what's happening behind the door…."

"What door?" Octavia asked, watching her in concern.

"I swiped this girl Maya's keycard while I was trapped in Mount Weather and I did some exploring. On the lower level there's this thick metal door that's guarded by an iron bar, a key and a keypad. That must be where they take the grounders and make them into reapers! That must have been what Cage meant," she exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Cage?" Bellamy questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"President Wallace's son," Kat told him impatiently. "He caught me snooping and he said, 'What I could so with ten like you.' That must have been what he was talking about!"

"Turning you into a reaper?" Bellamy growled, abruptly furious. "I'd like to see him try. I'll kill him." Kat blinked, frowning at him and opened her mouth in confusion but was interrupted.

A loud sound made the three of them jump and they fell silent, holding their breath as Lincoln appeared just outside the car, blood dripping down his chin. His head suddenly snapped to look inside the window. "Can he see us?" Octavia breathed, uncertainly.

"I don't know," Bellamy whispered, his entire body tense and ready to act.

As they watched, Lincoln made an angry, frustrated face, slapping the window in disgust and looking away before moving on. Kat waited until he was out of sight before turning to Octavia exhilaration. "Did you see that?" She asked in a hushed, excited voice. "He couldn't even stand the sight of his own reflection, Octavia, have you ever seen that in reaper? Lincoln, your Lincoln is still in there!" Kat could see the hope blooming in Octavia's eyes. "Whatever it takes, remember?"

"We'll get him back, O," Bellamy added from Kat's other side, reaching over to grab his sister's hand. "I promise."

Trembling, her lips curved up into a smile as she nodded at them, determination settling over her. There was a fierce look in her eye and Kat heard Bellamy give a sigh of relief. For now at least, it seemed Octavia, their Octavia, was back.

* * *

The plan was simple, so simple that Kat didn't even have a part to play in it. She was the backup just in case something went wrong. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" She heard Bellamy ask Octavia as they quietly slid out the door.

She took a deep breath and nodded, before straightening up and stepping out from behind the car. "Lincoln!" She called, desperately trying to achieve a normal voice. Kat scanned the garage, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow, adjusting her grip on her sword. "Lincoln, it's me! Where are you?"

Octavia fell silent as Lincoln finally appeared from around the corner. Her face was torn, one part determined and the other agonized by her decision. Lincoln broke out into a run again and Kat stood, tensing and getting ready to jump in if need be. "I'm sorry," Octavia whispered hoarsely as Bellamy appeared from behind Lincoln, pressing one of the guard's shock batons into Lincoln's neck and sending countless volts of electricity through his body.

Kat gritted her teeth, looking away and walking over to place a reassuring hand on Octavia's shoulder as Lincoln finally passed out from the pain. She didn't know if she could have been as strong as Octavia in that moment, if Bellamy had been in Lincoln's place.

"Now what?" Octavia asked softly, sounding and looking sick to her stomach.

Bellamy looked up at them with a grim expression, his eyes holding the same fierce expression that Octavia's usually did. "Now we take him home."

* * *

**Author's Note: So there it is! Let me know what you thought :)**

**Did you guys hear that season three is premiering January 21****st****? Who's excited?!**

Guest 1 - Thanks for your review, I'm glad you thought the chapter was beautiful :)

RunThisTown - You are not the only one who caught that! But thank you for pointing it out, I immediately went out and fixed it. Maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me something ;)

Guest 2 - I'm so happy you love my story so far! I'm super glad I added the chapter in there!

Guest 3 - I always love when I can create emotions in my readers, and I love that you were grinning like an idiot! Just remember though, it's the calm before the storm :)

Guest 4 - Thanks for reviewing, glad you liked the chapter! You asked for more, so here it is! Hold on to your seat for the next, say, ten chapters or so haha

Fangirling007 - So happy you loved the chapter! Thanks for supporting me and my story :)


	9. Negotiations on a Bluff

**Author's Note: I'm back, posting a new chapter in less than a month! I'm patting myself on the back for that one :) **** I want to thank everyone for their responses on the last chapter, but I have to admit I was a little discouraged by the lack of reviews! I don't want to be one of those annoying, complaining authors, but was there something about it that you didn't like? Please let me know!**

**Special thanks for Dannylionthe1st for being an awesome beta!**

* * *

Chapter 9: Negotiations on a Bluff

Kat wiped the sweat from her brow before stepping back and surveying the scene before her. Now she felt nauseous, her stomach twisting unpleasantly and her hands opening and closing in agitation. "This doesn't feel right," she told the Blake's, shaking her head quickly. "We've been through this before and it didn't end well for anyone."

"I know it looks bad, Kat," Octavia murmured soothingly, glancing at her over her shoulder. She was wiping the sweat from Lincoln's still unconscious face while Bellamy checked the metal bindings on his wrists and ankles. "Believe me, this hurts me more than it hurts you."

When Bellamy was satisfied with the bindings, he came over to her, pulling her to the side and placing both hands on her shoulders. He made sure he had her full attention, bending down to her eye level. "It's different this time Kat," he told her urgently. "We're trying to help him this time, not hurt him. If we don't restrain him he's going to try and kill us. We need time to figure out what to do."

"And what is that – " Kat broke off at the sound of chains rattling, both her and Bellamy whipping around in time to see Lincoln suddenly wake up, his eyes snapping open and his mouth curled into a snarl as he lunged for Octavia. She gave a startled cry and stumbled backwards, tripping over her feet and falling, smashing her head against the drop ship floor.

Bellamy and Kat raced forward, each of them grabbing her arms and pulling her back to safety. "Are you okay?" Bellamy asked frantically, probing the back of her head.

Breathing heavily, Octavia slapped his hands away with a wince. "I'm fine, Bell, he just caught me by surprise!" Her eyes were wide and tortured as she looked at Lincoln, who was still growling and struggling against his bonds. "Clarke," she said suddenly. "Clarke will know what to do. She'll know how to help him."

Kat wanted to tell her that this wasn't a medical problem, that she didn't know if there was a cure for this, but Octavia's desperate, determined eyes met hers and Kat found herself nodding, grabbing Octavia's hand when it clutched at hers. "Whatever it takes. I'll go."

"No," Bellamy objected at once. "I should – "

"Stay here just in case he gets free," Kat finished for him, already standing, the others following suit. "You're the only one strong enough to take him and Octavia's the only one who can possibly get through to him. I'm the only one who _can_ go." He opened his mouth but she cut him off once more. "Don't argue with me about this, Blake."

He sighed, a rueful half grin crossed his face as he rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't dream of it. I was actually going to say that you were right."

"You should get that in writing, Kat," Octavia mock whispered. "I would – "

She was drowned out as Lincoln suddenly started yelling again, his face twisted into a mask of rage, the chains rattling as he struggled to free himself and attack them. Kat saw the obvious flicker of fear and tortured pain on Octavia's face and felt her face set. "Right. I'll see you guys in a bit." She turned to leave and head down the hatch when Bellamy grabbed her wrist, tugging her back to him, a hand on her neck as he pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. As always, whenever Bellamy kissed her, she became momentarily distracted.

She dimly heard Octavia's amused noise of disgust along with a sound that turned out to be her hand slapping over her eyes.

Flushing hotly, Kat turned her head, breaking the kiss and looking away. "Bellamy – "

"Be careful," he murmured urgently, ignoring her embarrassment as his eyes searched between the two of hers. "You go back to camp, get Clarke, then come right back here. Nothing else, understand?"

Kat swiftly rolled her eyes. "Yes sir," she answered sarcastically, feeling both exasperated and pleased by his obvious worry for her. Didn't he know that she could take care of herself? She saw a brief gleam of something hot in his eyes at her words, but she didn't question it, just said, "See you in a bit," before she headed down the hatch.

* * *

**Bellamy's POV**

Bellamy watched her disappear, listening to the sounds of the footsteps as she walked away. He could feel the weight of Octavia's gaze on him, and when he looked up, he saw her watching him with a raised eyebrow. "What?" He asked defensively. A quick glance over his shoulder proved that Lincoln had quieted down again, retreating as far back into the shadows as his restraints would allow.

"You are so in love with her that it's simultaneously adorable and disgusting," she teased, her eyes determinedly staying on his in an effort to distract herself from where she was and what they were doing.

"Oh, shut up," Bellamy answered gruffly, brushing past her and busying himself with their supplies.

"No, seriously," Octavia smirked, following him to his mild annoyance. "Are you guys going to get married? Because Katerina Blake," she mused, pronouncing it slowly. "Really rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? She could be my sister-in-law and maybe I could be an aunt! You would have kids right, I'm assuming more than one – "

Bellamy's eye was starting to twitch. "Octavia!" He interrupted, turning around only to see a shit eating grin spread across her face. He rolled his eyes, sighing.

"Oh relax, big brother," Octavia chided, her smile and expression fading and Bellamy saw the true emotions that were churning inside her: exhaustion, fear, worry, determination and a hopeful strength that always seemed to shine out of her. "You know I love you and Kat together."

"You didn't always," he reminded her, thinking of her anger and worry when she had found out him and Kat were sleeping together.

Octavia sighed, glancing over at the still silent Lincoln for a moment before stepping back against the drop ship wall and sliding down it, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Yeah, I remember. Can you blame me? Kat was my friend. I knew her past history and I knew how you were with women." He opened his mouth hotly but Octavia cut him off. "Don't even try and deny it, Bellamy! I have no idea what happened up on the Ark when I was locked up, but when we first got down on the ground you had a different girl in your tent every other night. You were perfectly free to do whatever you want but I was afraid you were going to hurt her. Besides, you and I weren't in the best place at that point," she explained heatedly.

Guilt ate at him as the memory of the terrible words that he had said to his sister, his only family, came back to haunt him. He slid down next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her against him, softening further when he heard her contented sigh. "I was an ass," he admitted in a low, honest voice. "I spoke without thinking and I can never apologize enough for telling you the biggest lie I've ever told. You are the best thing in my life, O, you've my baby sister and I will always love, protect and help you in any way I can." He paused, jaw clenched and eyes tortured. "When I told Lincoln he could take you away, to keep you safe – " He broke off, clearing his throat gruffly. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

She rested her head against his shoulder, threading her arm through his like she used to do when she was younger. "I know," she murmured simply, her voice shaking slightly. "I thought the same thing. I was so glad you were okay – "

She was interrupted once more, both of them jumping as Lincoln suddenly started yelling again, thrashing against his chains, his red eyes glaring at them threateningly. Bellamy looked over at Octavia as she slowly withdrew from him. Her eyes were wide as she looked over at a deranged, furious Lincoln. The helplessness was apparent on her face and Bellamy couldn't help feeling the same way. He hated seeing her sister upset and in pain, but until Clarke got here there was nothing he could do.

He reached over and she clutched at his hand desperately, seeking the minimal amount of comfort that he could offer her. "It's going to be okay, O – "

"You don't know that, Bell, don't try and offer me false hope." Octavia shook her head woodenly, sounding distraught but obviously trying to keep it together. "What if it was Kat who didn't recognize you after everything you've been through, who looked at you with such hatred? What if that was Kat that you had to tie up like some dangerous animal, because you knew if she was loose she would try to kill and _eat_ you? I appreciate you trying, but you're really not helping me right now, so just stop."

Bellamy nodded, accepting this and keeping quiet. He didn't even want to think of Kat being a reaper because he was pretty sure he would lose his mind if he did. So he just held his sister's trembling hand, being there for her in case she needed him.

Kat and Clarke better get here soon. He didn't know how much longer Octavia could handle this.

* * *

**Kat's POV**

Lately, Kat's entire life felt like it consisted of running from one side of the forest to the other. Luckily the distance from the dropship to Camp Jaha wasn't nearly as long as it was from the grounder's camp. With all the running she'd been doing lately she made good time and thankfully didn't run into any grounders. She half expected Arian to be hiding behind one of the trees and was both relieved and disappointed when he wasn't. She really hoped he was okay after helping her escape.

Kat had hoped that she'd be able to slip into camp, find Clarke and get out unnoticed, but right when she got there she knew that wouldn't be possible. What looked like every member of Camp Jaha was gathered around the Ark Station, muttering impatiently. There was an angry undercurrent to their whispers and Kat assumed that the rest of them had heard that the grounders had given them two days to either leave or die.

She stood on her tiptoes, one half of her trying to see what these people were looking at, and the other half looking for a familiar head of blond hair. Pushing her way through the crowd, she saw Abby and Jaha standing on a small platform in front of everyone. Abby was speaking, but confusion flitted through Kat. How did Jaha escape the grounder prison?

Out of the corner of her eye, Kat saw a blonde pushing her way forward as well and abruptly changed direction. When Jaha stepped forward, however, his words caused anger to rush through her, distracting her from her task. "Just to be safe," he began in a confident, even voice, as if he hadn't just landed on the ground in a rocket or held prisoner by the supposed enemy. "You need to pack your things. Now." Kat's eyes flicked to Abby and she saw the disagreement and annoyance written across her face. The power struggle tension between the two of them was nearly palpable. "Whatever you can carry. We may need to leave at a moment's notice."

"Where will we go?" Someone shouted from the crowd.

"I don't know," Jaha admitted honestly. "But I heard of a place. A city of light! It's across the dead zone!" He told them, pointing.

"What makes you think we'll make it there?" Someone else yelled, and there were mutters of agreement from the crowd. Kat was glad to see that not everyone was agreeing with him.

"Because we made it here!" Jaha called out, spreading his arms and motioning around him. "And I have faith. Right now, given the alternative… that's good enough for me."

"Not for us!" Kat looked over and saw Clarke stepping forward, her face determined and her blue eyes blazing. ""If we leave, what happens to our people in Mount Weather?" She asked in a loud, clear voice. More mutterings rose from the crowd, Jaha looking out at them, his eyes going flat.

"As your mother said," he interjected in a voice louder than hers. "That is a very difficult decision to make. But the time has come, for each and every one of us to ask: is this how the story of our people ends? Did we come all this way just to die tomorrow? Because if we're not gone by the time that sun rises…that is exactly what will happen!"

As he spoke, Kat couldn't help but be reminded of the last speech that she had heard from him. _'We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds were better, we would have sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you… expendable."_

She would never forget that he had sent her and 99 other kids down here to die.

Abby called out over the louder muttering of voices, "No decision has been made. In the mean time, please report to your station supervisor and begin to gather emergency supplies."

Abby and Jaha turned to go back inside and the crowd slowly began to disperse, talking amongst themselves. Kat shoved her anger at Jaha aside, remembering Octavia and what she had come here to do. She pushed through everyone, ignoring their annoyed reprimands and grabbed Clarke's arm, realizing too late that a somber Finn stood next to her.

Clarke whirled around, her eyes widening with shock and relief when she saw that it was Kat. "You're alright!" She cried, surprising Kat by pulling her into a tight hug. "Where have you been? Where are Bellamy and Octavia – "

"Never mind that now," Kat interrupted impatiently. "I'll tell you on the way. We need your help and you're going to need your med kit. We're running low on time, we need to hurry."

"This is all my fault," Finn spoke suddenly, his face pale as he sounded like he was just realizing this fact for the first time. "The grounders are attacking because of me."

"Well of course it is, you dumbass!" Kat snapped in frustration before Clarke could reassure him otherwise. Her gray eyes were narrowed in anger as Finn visibly flinched at her words. "You singlehandedly murdered a dozen of their unarmed, innocent people, Finn! What did you think was going to happen, they'd just be like, 'Oh no, that's fine, no big deal, we didn't like those people anyway?'" She asked in a harsh, sarcastic voice.

"Kat!" Clarke hissed in anger and shock. "You are not helping!"

Kat swung her glare to her friend. "Neither are you!" She argued. "There needs to be some repercussion for what he's done, Blondie, and patting him on the back and telling him everything is going to be okay is a lie." She scowled at the pair of them. "Now are we done here? We need to go, and before you two say anything, he's not invited. We don't need him making things any worse than what they already are – "

"Kat!" Clarke shouted, interrupting her with a furious look. "Shut up and give us a minute."

Kat threw up her hands with an irritated noise, turning on her heel and walking a few feet away, fuming. She was giving them space, but she wasn't so far away that she couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Don't pay too much attention to her," Clarke told him in a softer voice. "Kat views everything in black and white, she can't work through the gray areas. The grounders are attacking because that's what they do, Finn."

There was a moment of silence and Kat couldn't resist looking over with a curious glance. Finn was staring at the ground, his jaw working and his face conflicted. "Go with Kat," he said in a wooden sort of voice. "Your mom said no decision has been made. If that changes, I'll let you know."

Clarke nodded resolutely before turning and walking away. She stomped passed Kat without looking at her and headed toward the medic tent. Kat followed, but the pair of them didn't speak as Clarke grabbed a med kit and headed towards what was now referred to as Raven's Gate. Kat enjoyed the silence while it lasted, but she knew from Clarke stiff posture and stony face that the silence wouldn't last very long.

Sure enough….

"I can't believe you!" Clarke exploded, stopping short and rounding on her when they were a safe distance away from the camp. "Finn knows what he's done, Kat, he doesn't need you reminding him of it every time he sees you!"

"Does he?" Kat yelled back, refusing to back down. "Because it doesn't seem like it! Everyone's tiptoeing around him, forgiving him, pardoning him – "

"And what would you have him do?" Clarke spat, crossing her arms and looking at her expectantly. "How should he make up for what he's done?"

"I don't know!" Kat threw up her hands in frustration. "I don't know if there's any good answer for that, Clarke. All I know is that I can't just forgive and forget the fact that he murdered innocent people."

Kat's voice softened by the end of her sentence and the tension between the two of them lessened as Clarke closed her eyes and sighed. "I know. I can't just forget about it either. If Finn is to blame for what's happening then in a way, so am I. It was me that he was looking for."

Kat snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, it wasn't you holding that gun." She paused, watching Clarke's weary face and admitted begrudgingly. "I can understand that this is harder for you given your history with him. Can we shelve this conversation for later? We're really wasting precious time."

"Right," Clarke nodded as they continued on, breaking out into a jog. "Now tell me what happened since we split up yesterday."

Kat quickly explained how the three guards found them just before the acid fog hit, how they lost one before they found the parking garage. How they split up from them only to discover that the remaining two guards had been killed and eaten by reapers. "We killed two of them and were about to kill the third when Octavia realized it was Lincoln," Kat explained breathlessly. "Do you know what this means, Clarke? The reapers captured Lincoln and took him to Mount Weather. Then the next time we see him, he's a reaper!"

Clarke's eyes widened at the implications, her jaw going slack as she looked over at Kat as they ran. "They don't only control the reapers… they're creating them!"

"I'd bet anything that it's behind that heavily locked door that I found when I stole Maya's key card!"

A look of worry crossed Clarke's face. "But how am I supposed to turn Lincoln back?" Kat shook her head, staying silent because there was no good answer to that question. "How's Octavia doing?" She asked instead.

Kat looked anxious. "I'm not sure. You know Octavia. She's pretending to be strong like she always does, but you can tell that she's terrified she's going to lose him."

Clarke nodded again, falling silent as she pushed their pace further. When they approached the dropship, Kat did her best not to look at the charred, broken skeletons and the still blackened floor, but instead led the way inside and up to the topmost floor. Before she even started climbing she could hear Lincoln screaming furiously from upstairs. Sharing a dark look with Clarke, she began to climb.

Her eyes glanced around the room as she stepped out of the way to let Clarke through, her eyes catching the look of relief on Bellamy's face when he saw her unharmed and flickering over to where her friend was hunched against the wall, staring at Lincoln with a lost, broken expression on her face. Her heart went out to Octavia, and she crossed the room, briefly brushing Bellamy's arm with her hand before kneeling beside her best friend in a show of silent support.

Clarke, meanwhile, was examining the still shouting Lincoln with a look of sadness and disbelief, jumping as he renewed his attempts to break through the chains. "It's okay," Bellamy reassured her, coming to stand at her side. "He's been restrained."

"I can't believe we're back here again," Clarke whispered, echoing Kat's words from earlier.

"Can you help him?" Octavia croaked, moving only to turn her head to look at Clarke. Lincoln's growls and roars were animal-like as he fought furiously to free himself.

"I don't know," Clarke admitted worriedly, her eyes still fixed on him. "I can't believe Mount Weather can do something like this."

Bellamy spoke up, saying exactly what was on everyone's mind. "If they can do that to Lincoln… what are they doing to our friends?" Kat thought of Miller, Jasper, Monty and the others and a shudder of fear ran through her. They needed to move quickly if they were going to save their people from this terrible fate.

"How are they doing it though?" Kat asked, standing up and walking over to them. "He doesn't recognize anyone. He's lost himself and all he cares about is killing. It's like…. Some sort of mind control."

"Is that even possible?" Bellamy questioned doubtfully.

"I don't know," Clarke repeated, slowly moving closer to Lincoln and examining him through critical eyes. "What happened to his leg?" She asked, eyeing the bloody pants.

There was a long moment of silence. "I shot him," Octavia admitted, clenching her jaw and looking away in an effort to hold back tears.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Bellamy told her in a low voice.

"Look!" Kat interrupted suddenly, her voice loud with alarm. Lincoln had suddenly fallen silent, his body twitching as his head sagged forward. "What the hell is happening to him?"

"He's convulsing," Clarke told them, stepping even closer and tilting her head to the side curiously. Kat took one involuntary step forward, wanting to pull her back to safety. She was standing way too close to him, and it made Kat's body tense with anxiety. "Can you shine the light on his neck?" She called over her shoulder. They did as she asked, causing Lincoln to squint and shy away from the light in discomfort.

"What's wrong?" Octavia asked in a worried voice.

"Needle marks," Clarke announced.

"He's been drugged?" Bellamy announced in surprise.

"Maybe – "

Clarke was cut off as all hell broke loose. Lincoln finally succeeding in pulling himself free from his restraints, pulling the chain from the wall, the metal end smashing Clarke on the head and making her stagger in pain. Lincoln grabbed onto her immediately with his free arm. Octavia reacted quickest, leaping forward with a shout of alarm, but Lincoln whipped his arm out, catching her in the chest and throwing her back against the wall.

Kat and Bellamy sprang forward at the same time, Bellamy repeatedly punching Lincoln anywhere he can reach while Kat pried Clarke from his grip. With a roar of fury, Lincoln reared his head back and snapped it forward to smash against Bellamy's face, throwing him to the side. He ripped his other arm free, swinging the chain at Kat, but she ducked just in time. Whatever drug Lincoln had been given seemed to have enhanced his speed and strength, because Kat didn't even see the uppercut he threw with his other arm, catching her under her jaw and lifting her off her feet.

Bright white spots danced with the black in front of her vision. A strange ringing noise sounded in her ears, her heartbeat pounding through her head. She sluggishly struggled to sit up, blinking the spots away as she looked around. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Her eyes slowly moved from Octavia and Clarke wincing on the floor, to Lincoln struggling to break his leg restraints as he clawed at them from the floor, to Bellamy. He had a snarl on his face as he rolled back to his feet, grabbing a guard's baton and charging forward.

"No!" Kat croaked, pushing herself up as Lincoln broke free, catching Bellamy on the chest as he ran forward and slamming him to the floor. The world swayed dizzyingly as she frantically tried to clear her head, the sound of Bellamy's grunts of pain echoing as Lincoln punched him in the face over and over again. She staggered forward as Clarke charged Lincoln again, but was stopped as Clarke was shoved back into her, knocking them both down. Octavia leapt forward with another yell, swinging a metal pipe, which collided with Lincoln's head, effectively knocking him out.

Octavia collapsed to her knees, panting, her heartbroken gaze on Lincoln. Kat crawled forward to where Bellamy was lying on his back, blinking dazedly up at the ceiling, his face bloody. "You okay?" She muttered, putting a hand on his arm.

He winced, sitting up and wiping some of the blood off his face. "Yeah. You?" She began to nod but stopped quickly as the world swam before her.

Clarke looked at her in concern. "That was a nasty hit you took. I'm pretty sure you flew three feet in the air, Kat, be honest with us."

"I'm fine," she reiterated dismissively. "Come on, we should tie him down again before he wakes up."

They worked quickly and quietly, tying him to the floor this time, looping multiple chains around him. They finished just as he woke up again, growling at them and struggling to free himself. Luckily it seemed as if the restraints would hold this time. Kat kept a close eye on Octavia who seemed to be at her wit's end. There was a distraught, hopeless look in her eyes, but Kat knew she would never give up. She forced a calm appearance, even when Lincoln tried to take a bite out of her as she gave him water. Kat didn't know what she could say to make this better for her. Bellamy made an effort, knowing his sister was hurting, but her response was the solemn truth. Nobody could protect her from this and what might happen.

Clarke instructed Bellamy and Kat on what to do while she worked on extricating the bullet from his leg. Kat watched, marveling at the swift and efficient way that Clarke worked. She couldn't help thinking that if they hadn't come down to the ground, she wouldn't have heard to learn how to heal gunshot wounds.

"You've done well," Bellamy told her, obviously thinking along the same lines as Kat. "Your mom would be proud."

Clarke, however, still looked troubled. "My mom would know how to fix him," she corrected with a frustrated sigh, tying up the tourniquet and getting up to walk away.

"Clarke – " Bellamy tried. Kat glanced over, zoning out of their conversation as the hatch opened and Octavia walked back in from getting more water. Kat did a startled double take as another person entered behind her and as soon as she realized who it was, her blade was drawn just as Bellamy swung around with his gun.

"No, stop, don't shoot!" Octavia shouted quickly, stepping in front of the grounder with the dark look on his face. "He's a friend and their healer, he's here to help Lincoln!"

"He's seizing again!" Clarke cried from behind them, moving to Lincoln's side once more. Kat glanced at Bellamy, who nodded, both of them stepping aside. Octavia hurried to Lincoln's other side and the grounder, Nyko, went by Lincoln's head. Kat couldn't read the expression on his face as he looked at his friend. Kat watched, confused, as he slowly and calmly reached for a vial in his belt and opened it. "What is that?" Clarke demanded.

He ignored her, bending over Lincoln and murmuring, "Yu gonplei ste odon."

Kat watched him tip the vial over, one drop beginning to fall. "Wait!" Clarke exploded, her hand shooting forward to catch the drop before it fell into Lincoln's open mouth. There was a moment of silence as Clarke thought something through, repeating the words as her eyes widened. "That's what they say before death! He's trying to kill him"

Kat's sword flicked up to the grounder's throat before she had even finished speaking. Bellamy raised his gun once more, barking, "Don't move!"

"Is this true?" Octavia demanded, sounding betrayed, her eyes flashing angrily. "I thought you were here to help! Killing him, does not help!"

"Killing him is the only way," Nyko told them in his soft voice. "Lincoln would not want to live like this."

"But what if there's a way to bring him back?" Kat questioned immediately, glaring down at him. She had seen the brief flash of defeat on Octavia's face and the slump in her shoulders.

"There are none!" Nyko countered impatiently. "We have tried countless times – "

"But _we_ haven't!" She interrupted, gesturing around them. "We have different experiences and backgrounds, more medical knowledge – "

Finn suddenly entered through the hatch, a look panic and urgency on his face. "We need to go, the camp is leaving – "

"You!" Nyko moved quickly, knocking Kat's sword hand to the side and lunging towards Finn, grabbing him by the throat and shoving him against the wall, shouting words that they didn't understand at him. Everyone leapt into action, yelling over each other, but Kat couldn't help but notice that while there was a small look of fear in Finn's eyes, he made no move to stop the larger man. "You _slaughtered_ my people!" Nyko snarled, shoving him against the wall hard again. "Children! Innocents! Blood must have blood – "

Bellamy was pointing his gun at Nyko, Octavia was yelling at Bellamy to stop and Kat was trying to reason with the both of them. Her head was pounding nastily due to the commotion and there was a strange ringing in her ears that she couldn't seem to shake as the yelling increased. Clarke decided to take matters into her own hands, grabbing the forgotten guard baton and electrifying Nyko so he fell to the floor with a pained gasp.

"Lincoln!" Octavia croaked, hurrying to his side yet again. "Fuck - he's not breathing!" She called to Clarke over her shoulder, her eyes wild with panic.

Clarke immediately dropped the baton, Octavia moving aside for her when she approached. Clarke bent over Lincoln's body, putting her hands together on his chest and pushing down with a considerable amount of strength. Nyko moved, but when Kat glanced at him, it was only to slide weakly down the wall, watching Clarke with wide eyes full of confusion.

All of them watched with bated breath until _finally_, Lincoln opened his mouth and drew in a rasping breath. Everyone heard Octavia strangled sigh of relief, gratitude on her face as she reached over and grasped Clarke's hand with a small smile of thanks.

"He was dead," Nyko muttered in a bewildered voice. "How did you do that?"

"You've tried bringing reapers back before?" Clarke asked instead, a hint of something hidden in her eye. "And they died like this?" Nyko nodded. There was a speculative look on Clarke's face as she looked back down at Lincoln.

"What is it?" Bellamy pressed, stepping forward.

She looked up at them with bright, blue eyes full of triumph. "I know how to stop the attack."

"Great," Kat said at once, never doubting her leader. She might not always agree with the blonde when it came to their own relationship, but Clarke had proved time and time again that she cared about her people and she had never steered them wrong so far. "What's the plan?"

Clarke glanced at Nyko, who was still sitting motionless against the wall, looking at Lincoln as if he was some kind of material. "He won't harm Lincoln any longer," Octavia told her from her position at Lincoln's side, where she didn't look like she'd be leaving anytime soon.

Clarke stood, gesturing for Kat and Bellamy to follow her to the other side of the dropship. "If we can bring Lincoln back - erase whatever reaper drug is in his system so he's normal again - then we can trade that information to the Commander and stop the attack. We'll need someone to stay here and watch over Lincoln. I'm assuming Octavia will be staying – "

"I'll stay too," Bellamy interrupted, glancing over his shoulder. "I don't think the grounder will be leaving either."

Clarke nodded in acceptance. "Alright. Then I'll take Finn back with me to camp and send my mother to you. She'll know how to help Lincoln more than I would. Then I'll go speak with their commander."

Disapproval flickered across Bellamy's face. "And what if your mom can't help him? You can't just walk into enemy territory by yourself with a plan that might not work – "

"I'll go with her," Kat announced, stepping forward and looking between the two of them.

Clarke shook her head at once. "This is something that I need to do on my own – "

"Don't refuse help when it's offered to you, Clarke," Kat told her, crossing her arms. "Besides, I've talked with the Commander, I know what she's like. I can help you."

Though she didn't seem to like it, Clarke nodded again. "Fine." She looked from her to Bellamy and turned away. "We'll meet you at the dropship entrance. Be quick."

She left and Bellamy slipped his hands around Kat's waist, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers. Kat closed her eyes, sighing at his touch. When he was touching her, she found that it was easier to ignore the pounding in her head. "Kat?" He asked, staring down at her in concern. It sounded as if he had said her name more than once. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You know, I half expected you to protest my decision," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his back and hoping to distract him. It worked.

"I trust you," he answered simply, pulling back and fondly tucking a stray hand of hair behind her ear. Her favorite half smile crossed his face. "Besides, even if I had protested, would you have listened to me?"

"No," Kat grinned. She patted his cheek gently. "I'm glad to see you're learning."

His smile faded as he gazed down at her with those soulful brown eyes that always betrayed exactly what he was thinking. Try as he might to convinced people otherwise, her tough, strong soldier of a man felt very strongly and was unable to hide his emotions, especially from her. "Come back to me," he murmured.

"Always," she answered without hesitation, her heart beating faster at his words. Conscious of Nyko's eyes on them, she raised herself up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before stepping around him and heading to the hatch.

He caught her arm as she walked away, and she turned to face him once more. "I know you don't want the grounders to be our enemies," he told her, his face grave. "But be careful, Kitten. Always be on your guard."

* * *

Their run back to camp was tense and awkward. Each time her foot pounded into the ground, it resounded terribly in her head. Finn was more somber than Kat had ever seen him, which was fine by her because she was pointedly ignoring him. Besides that, there was the ever present tension between Clarke and Finn which Kat was also trying desperately to ignore. There was a very small part of her that wished to know what was going on between them, but she knew it wasn't the right time.

The gates opened for them, though the guards sent them confused glances. She had a little laugh over that. They had just let them in a few hours ago, didn't see them leave, and then let them in again.

Kat's eyes quickly took in the organized chaos throughout the camp. Guards were directing dozens of people to their assigned groups, people who looked determined yet terrified, their meager belongings in packs slung over their shoulders. Abby and Jaha stood at the front of it all, watching. Jaha looked satisfied now that he had gotten his way, but Abby looked uncertain and conflicted.

"Clarke!" Abby cried in relief, hurrying over when she caught sight of her daughter entering the gates. "Where have you been?"

"I know how to stop the attack," Clarke told her urgently, ignoring her question.

"What? How?" Abby demanded, surprise flickering across her face.

Jaha stepped forward. "You can't be serious," he began angrily. "Abby, we're already in the process of evacuating."

"Lower your voice, Thelonious," Abby hissed, glancing around at the people nearby. "Let's take this inside – "

There was a sudden shout from one of the guards and the whispers and mutters around them grew like a swarm of flies. Kat followed their gaze outside the gaze and what she saw made her body go cold. There was a single torch lit in the darkness, but as she watched, dozens and then hundreds of torches followed. The whole show was meant as an intimidation tactic, and Kat had to admit it was pretty damn intimidating.

"Kat? Kat!" Clarke called, searching her friend's dazed face suspiciously. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, gesturing to where the others had begun to go inside. "You're acting… different. Spacey."

"I'm fine," Kat brushed off for what felt like the hundredth time. "Aren't you supposed to be convincing your mom to – to…." She broke off, confused. She couldn't seem to think of the words. Clarke opened her mouth again but Kat impatiently cut her off. "Go!" Clarke sent her one last look before hurrying off.

_Pull it together, Hale._

"They're not attacking yet," Clarke persisted, hurrying after her mother as they made their way inside, dodging armed guards who were running to their posts. "Let me talk to the Commander, she's Anya's second, maybe she'll listen."

"And what exactly is your plan, Clarke?" Abby asked as they entered the room they were using as Council headquarters. Jaha took a seat, but everyone else remained standing, Abby bracing her arms against the table and Kat standing behind Clarke, watching and listening.

"We haven't been able to negotiate with the grounders because we don't have anything they want," Clarke explained. "Their greatest threat is the reapers, and we just learned that the reapers are created and controlled by the Mountain Men. Bellamy, Octavia and Kat found Lincoln yesterday up by the mountain. He was turned, but I've been helping him! It's like he's going through some sort of withdrawal – "

"We don't know what he's withdrawing from!" Abby interrupted. "The detox alone could kill him."

"That's where you come in."

"And if I can't save him?"

Clarke's face was grave, but her voice strong and resolute. "That's not an option."

There was a long moment of silence that was broken by the loud sound of Jaha's fist slamming on the table. "This is ridiculous!" He thundered, looking around at them in frustration and disbelief. "We are risking the lives of everyone in this camp on a _bluff_? We have an out, a way to save the lives of our people – "

"Not all of them," Finn interjected, narrowing his eyes.

"We will come back to save the kids inside Mount Weather – "

"Bullshit," Kat growled. They all turned to look at her. "We all know that we crash-landed in the grounder's territory. If we leave, if we give it back to them, do you really think they'll let us come back to save our people? We need them, we need to form an alliance with them because we can't defeat Mount Weather on our own! But in order to do that, we need Clarke to go through with this plan." He didn't look convinced so she tried another tactic. "A lot of your people have children trapped inside of Mount Weather! We already know they can use their blood to heal radiation burns, what do you think they're going to do next? What if it was Wells that was trapped instead – "

"Do not bring up my son in an attempt to use him against me," Jaha hissed in a deadly voice. "Now, this has gone on long enough. Abby, if you do not give the order to continue the exodus, we will all die!"

Kat had frustratingly snapped her mouth shut at Jaha's rebuke. Though she knew it had been a low blow, she had been trying to get him to see their side of things. Now they all turned their wary and expectant gazes to Abby, who was quiet for a long moment, thinking.

Her face finally cleared, determination and a certain coolness entering her gaze as she looked up at Jaha. "I can't give that order," she told him in an unwavering voice.

Jaha's eyes flashed as he stepped closer to her, using his height to his advantage as he looked down at her. "Abby," he whispered menacingly in a voice that still carried to the rest of them. "Give the order."

"No," she answered, refusing to back down.

"_I_ am the _elected_ Chancellor of the Ark, and I am not going to let you risk the lives of my people, do you understand? I'm going to ask you again. Give the order to begin the exodus."

"No," Abby repeated in a fierce voice. "Are you through?"

Jaha looked around the room, glancing between Kat, Clarke and Finn and finally seemed to realize there was no one on his side. His gaze landed on the two guards posted in the doorway and walked over to them, hands laced behind his back. "Sergeant Miller." Kat blinked, her gaze shooting to the tall guard. _Miller? Could this be Miller's dad?_ "Major Byrne. I am relieving Dr. Griffin of her command." He turned back to face the rest of them, already thinking that he had won. "Placed them into custody, but make sure that they are ready to leave with the rest of us within the hour." Kat seriously could not believe the audacity of this man! "RIGHT NOW!" Jaha exploded, pointing and looking wild. "Or else the blood of everyone in this camp will be on your hands too!"

Abby stepped forward when the guards remained in their positions. "Major Byrne, Sergeant Miller. Place Chancellor Jaha in the stockade."

Looking immensely uncomfortable, Major Byrne answered, "Yes ma'am," and reached for Jaha's arm.

He violently ripped it away, turning back to glare at Abby. "After everything we've done." He spoke in a low, shaky voice. "You just throw it all away. Why?"

"Because I have faith too," Abby answered him, her eyes shining. "Faith in my daughter."

Kat felt Clarke's shock at her mother's words and watched her wide blue eyes look over to her. In that moment, after witnessing the scene that had just occurred, Kat couldn't help but grudgingly admire Abby Griffin. Jaha had years of experience behind him, years where Abby had deferred to him as their leader and yet she had stayed strong, listening to her daughter and refusing to abandon their people.

These Griffin women were going to be the death of her.

Once Jaha had left, Abby turned to Clarke, allowing the concern that she had been hiding to show. "I'll send a guard detail with you."

Clarke shook her head with a tiny smile. "They'll just see it as a threat. Kat's volunteered to come with me, she's met the Commander before. Finn will take you to Lincoln."

"If you're wrong," Abby pointed out. "We're all going to die."

"Yeah, no pressure there." Kat muttered, rolling her eyes. Fuck. Even that hurt.

* * *

An hour or so later (half of which Kat spent arguing with Clarke and Abby as they tried to convince her to leave her sword behind) Clarke and Kat had left the gates and were heading across the empty clearing towards the grounder's temporary camp. As they walked, Kat told Clarke everything that she remembered about Lexa.

"She's used to being respected, so don't talk down to her. At the same time, though, don't be afraid to speak your mind. And definitely do _not_ show your fear."

What Kat assumed was the Commander's tent was located closest to their camp. About a dozen guards were scattered around it, all of them holding weapons, their faces obscured by masks. Six more guards trailed behind them, escorting them to the tent. They were stopped a few feet from the entrance by a tall, intimidating grounder with grayish black hair and a matching beard. Like most other grounders, he has tattoos and a grim look on his face.

He looked down at them, glancing at Clarke but lingering on Kat for a moment longer. "If you so much as look at her the wrong way I will slit your throat," he warned in a perfectly calm, no nonsense voice. He didn't wait for an answer, just stepped aside and followed them both into the tent. It was a decent size, with two tables on either side and a small platform with the same throne on it that Kat saw a few days ago. Lexa was lounging on it, playing with a small dagger, and the angry woman with the short hair and a bad attitude stood to her left. Kat's eyes flickered around the room quickly, but she didn't see Arian anywhere, which caused a bad feeling to settle in the pit of her stomach.

"You're the one that burned three hundred of my warriors alive," Lexa accused in a drawling voice.

Kat saw Clarke's shoulders straighten. "You're the one that sent them there to kill us," she answered without missing a beat, making Kat feel immensely proud.

Lexa didn't seem to appreciate the comeback as much as Kat did. She put the dagger point down on the arm of the chair with a threatening noise that echoed through the tent. She dismissed Clarke for the moment, her eyes narrowing as they landed on Kat. "And you," she murmured, pointing the blade at her. Before Kat could blink, the guard behind her had a dagger pressed to her throat.

"Hey!" Kat froze, holding her breath as Clarke stepped forward angrily. "We came here weaponless to negotiate terms! We mean no harm, what is the meaning of this?" She demanded.

"Kat of the Sky People," Lexa called, ignoring Clarke. "Arian vouched on your behalf. I allow you safe passage within my village. I explicitly tell you that you are not allowed to leave and yet you disobey my orders and have the gall to show your face here in my tent? What do you have to say for yourself?"

This had been was what Kat had been afraid of. The thought that Lexa would be pissed at her had crossed her mind, but she couldn't let Clarke go into the enemy's camp alone. Her brain raced, her mouth suddenly dry as she tried to fix their current situation. "I'm sorry that I ran away," she began, fighting the urge to fidget. "I partially blame that on temporary insanity – I had just been held captive by the Mountain Men, was nearly killed by reapers and then was captured yet again. I had thought I lost all my friends at that point, and when I found out that they were still alive, I couldn't just wait around. I needed to see it for myself."

"Excuses!" The angry woman snapped, brown eyes flashing. "Commander let me teach her some manners – "

"Enough," Lexa cut in, holding up her hand. Her eyes never left Kat's. "I know that Arian helped you escape. Because of your actions, he has been punished. I have no authority to do as such to do."

"Punished?" Kat repeated in outrage, anger flooding through her body. "What did you do to him?" She demanded, stepping forward with narrowed eyes. She could only imagine what kind of torture these people inflicted on him. The guard's dagger nicked the skin of her throat at her movement, but she paid no attention to the pain or the line of blood that began to flow, or the fact that he grabbed her by her neck and pulled her back. "That's your own brother, he was just trying to help me – "

"The law is the law," Lexa interrupted, lacing her hands together. "I am the leader of my people and I cannot show favoritism based on blood. My _brother_ is relatively unharmed and has hopefully learned his lesson." She paused, tilting her head to the side. "Do not cross me again, Kat of the Sky People. It is not often that I give people second chances." Kat had to physically bite her tongue to stop herself from shouting at the Commander of the Grounders. She mechanically nodded her head, her fingernails biting into her palms. She could practically feel Clarke beside her, vibrating with nervous energy as Lexa turned back to look at her after waving her guard away. Kat refused to wipe the blood away, staring at Lexa defiantly. "Do you have an answer for me?"

"I've come to make you an offer," Clarke announced in a strong voice.

"This is not a negotiation," Lexa dismissed.

"Teik ai frag em op en dison laik odon," Indra spat, shooting them both a disgusted look. _Let me kill her and get this over with. _Lexa lazily held up a hand, cutting her off.

"I can help you beat the Mountain Men," Clarke implored, her eyes on Lexa.

Lexa considered her for a moment, and Kat knew they had her. "Go on."

"Hundreds of your people are trapped inside Mount Weather, kept in cages. Their blood is used as medicine."

"How do you know this?" Lexa demanded.

"Because I saw them. My people are prisoners there too. I was one of them."

"This is the friend I was telling you about," Kat interrupted, jerking a thumb in Clarke's direction. "We're the ones that escaped Mount Weather with – "

"Anya," Lexa broke in, eyes narrowed as she sat up straighter. "What happened to her?"

"She didn't make it," Clarke answered, leaving out the part where their own people killed her. Clarke reached inside her pocket and all at once the sound of knives being drawn echoed through the room. Clarke slowed her movements, pulling out Anya's braid. "She told me you were her second. I'm sure she'd want you to have this."

As Clarke slowly approached Lexa to hand it to her, Kat thought about what a strange momento it was. Lexa on the other hand, was looking down at the braid with a sorrow expression on her face. "We don't know it's hers," the female grounder argued.

"Shof op, Indra," Lexa snapped. The corner of Kat's lips twitched. She didn't know their language, but it sounded like the Commander had just told her to shut up, echoing exactly what Kat had been thinking. "Anya was my mentor, before I was called to lead my people," Lexa told Clarke, seemingly ignoring Kat completely. "Did she die well?" She asked in a would be casual voice.

"Yes," Clarke insisted. "By my side. Trying to get a message to you."

"What message?"

"The only way we can save both our people is if we join up together – "

"Those who are about to die will say anything," Indra growled, hand on her sword.

"Oh, would you stop interrupting?" Kat cried in exasperation, rolling her eyes. "Let the girl freaking speak."

Indra started forward angrily at her words, but Lexa was ignoring both of them. "I'm still waiting for an offer, Clarke." Her words stilled both Indra and Kat who glared at each other furiously.

Clarke took a steady breath. "The Mountain Men are turning your people into reapers. I can turn them back."

Kat could practically feel the shock in the room in response to her words. "Impossible!" Indra spat.

"Seriously?" Kat grumbled, glaring at her. She spouted some more words in their own language and now Kat could feel Clarke's annoyance.

"I've done it!" She interrupted. "With Lincoln."

"That traitor," Indra snapped, moving forward as she began to draw her sword. "Was the reason our people were slaughtered!" Kat stepped in front of Clarke as Indra angrily approached and the two females stared each other down. Kat could feel Clarke's quick breath at the back of her neck.

"Try it," Kat murmured, body tensing in preparation. "I dare you."

"Em pleni!" Lexa shouted, slamming her hands on the armrest of the throne as she swiftly stood, eyes flashing. Indra didn't flinch at the Commander's voice, but she did slam the sword back into its sheath and stride away to stand against one wall of the tent. Lexa slowly approached Clarke, and Kat decided at that moment that she didn't like the way the Commander's eyes never left her friend. It was starting to get slightly disconcerting. Kat stepped back to Clarke's side, though she was still prepared for everything. "You say you can turn reapers back to men," Lexa drawled, stopping less than a foot away from her. "Prove. It. Show me Lincoln."

Her head was pounding worse than ever, to the point where she didn't think she would be able to ignore it any further. Thankfully, the walk to the dropship wasn't as far as Kat would have expected. In fact, she was actually worried and hoped Abby had enough time to reach the dropship and save Lincoln. Her mind was going through several different possibilities in case Lincoln didn't make it. Lexa, Indra, and four other guards accompanied them to the dropship. Finn had taken her sword back there for this eventuality, so there was him, Bellamy and Kat who actually knew how to fight. Octavia might not be in the right state of mind, and then there was Clarke and her mom. So say that was about four and half people against six experienced warriors. The fight would be to the death, but she didn't know if they stood a chance.

Kat wished she could talk to Clarke and see what she was thinking, but the grounders were too close to have a safe conversation. If the other girl was nervous, she hid it well. Kat grimaced as they neared the dropship. The ground was still blackened and there were skeletons of the dead grounder warriors scattered around them. She surreptitiously glanced around and saw both the fury and the sorrow in the guard's eyes.

Kat's eyes caught the blackened skull of one of the grounders and she found she couldn't look away. _That could have been Bellamy_, she thought after a dazed moment, before the world swayed dangerously. Her stomach roiled in protest and her eyes widened as she staggered to the side, hunching over and violently emptying the contents of her stomach.

Clarke was there in a second, helping her straighten when she was done and examining her carefully. "You're not okay," Clarke told her firmly, pressing a hand to her forehead, which Kat batted away.

Lexa looked over to them, looking at Kat. "You're pale, sweaty and nauseous," she observed with bright eyes. "I am no healer, but that is usually the symptoms of a woman with child."

"What?" Kat spluttered, flushing hotly as her gray eyes widened in astonishment. A hysterical laugh broke free from her lips at the thought of her and Bellamy becoming parents." No I – I'm not pregnant!" She insisted. "Fuck! You're going to make me hurl again, let's just get this over with. Now," she added, glancing at Clarke for help.

Clarke nodded reluctantly. "This way," she said, steering Lexa towards the dropship. Clarke climbed the ladder first, with Kat right behind her. As she opened the hatch, Kat could hear the sound of Octavia sobbing and her face grew determined. A fight it was, then. Before she straightened, Kat covertly pulled out her switchblade from her boot, hiding it behind her leg as she looked around.

Tears streamed down Octavia's face as she sobbed over his chest. Bellamy was crouched next to her, a grim look in his eye as their gazes met. Finn caught her eye, before pointedly looking down at her sword in his hand. Abby and Clarke shared a long, devastated look as the sounds of the other grounders coming up the ladder grew louder. Lexa entered along with Indra and the other guard from before, bringing their total with Nyko to four. Lexa looked down at Lincoln's body before turning to nod at Indra.

"Kill them all!" She growled, wrenching her sword free.

Finn tossed Kat her own sword, and she caught it, pulling it free and pointing the blade at Indra. There was the sound of guns being cocked and other swords being drawn and even the electrical buzz as Abby fired up the baton.

"Please," Clarke tried in a shaky voice, weaponless as everybody was locked in a standoff. "You don't have to do this."

"You lied," Lexa pointed out in a grim voice, her eyes boring into Clarke's. "And you're out of time."

In an act of desperation, Abby suddenly moved, bringing the baton up, kneeling by Lincoln's body and pressing it into the center of his chest. Volts of electricity ripped through his body, causing his back to involuntarily arch. Clarke's eyes widened as she caught on to what her mother was trying to do. "Hit him again!" She urged.

Abby brought the baton down one more time and Kat gave a sigh of relief as Lincoln's eyes flew open with a gasp. Octavia crawled forward immediately, the tears drying on her face. Kat knew that Lincoln was different as his head weakly turned towards hers. "Lincoln?" She whispered in a hopeful voice.

"Octavia," he breathed, making her let out a strangled, happy noise as she gently clasped either side of his face, bringing her head down to rest her forehead against his. The grounders looked shell shocked, but as Kat watched, she could see the beginning of hope in their eyes. It wasn't until Lexa sheathed her sword, however, that everyone relaxed their stances and the tension between them began to dissipate.

As the adrenaline faded from Kat's body, she felt herself sway, feeling weak and lightheaded. "Shit," she muttered softly in annoyance as a dull roaring filled her ears and her knees buckled. The last thing she saw before she hit the ground was Bellamy's panicked face as he shouted her name.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whew, that was a long chapter! What did you guys think?**

**Have you seen the trailer for season 3? It looks crazy good! One half of me is so excited to see it, but the other half is dreading it – what happened to my poor Blakes?!**

**On an entirely different note… We are officially halfway done with this story! I know, I can hardly believe it either!**

**Please don't forget to leave a review before you leave! :)**

Guest - Thanks for the review! Love you too!


	10. Shattered Hearts

**Author's Note: Hello everybody! Sorry for the long wait, but I wanted to wait until the premiere of season three before posting the next chapter! Thank you to everybody who reviewed, favorited and followed my story – you're support is what makes me want to keep writing.**

**** This chapter brings up a very delicate topic. I don't want to start a debate on the morality of the decisions that the characters debate. In no way does this chapter reflect my own personal feelings on the topic, it's just the way that I imagined each of the characters to react as well as their own thoughts on it. I sincerely hope you keep this in mind while reading the chapter ****

**Special thanks to my beta, Dannylionthe1st!**

* * *

Chapter 10: Shattered Hearts

**Abby's POV**

Abby looked over her shoulder as she heard footsteps approaching the medical bay and saw Clarke enter. Abby allowed herself a moment of internal concern for her daughter. She didn't like the grim, drawn expression on her unusually pale face, nor the helplessness and exhaustion that she tried to hide. Abby kept her mouth shut though. Her daughter would only snap and get angrier if she mentioned it.

"How is she?" Clarke asked in a soft voice, going over to sit next to Kat.

Abby sighed and glanced over at the motionless girl. "The same. She hasn't woken up yet – "

"Not once?" Clarke interrupted sharply, looking up at her mother. "My meeting with the Commander lasted several hours, she should have woken up by now."

"Her vitals are stable, Clarke," Abby reminded her gently. "She'll wake when her body's ready." Abby gave a wry smile. "Though I do hope it's soon. I've had to kick Bellamy out of here three times already, he's driving me absolutely insane."

Clarke didn't crack a smile like Abby hoped she would. She hesitated, looking at the door before speaking in a hushed voice. "I know that I told you that Kat's been pale, dizzy, nauseated, spacey and that she got hit in the head really hard. I thought it was a concussion, but the Commander said something earlier… Do you think… Is it possible that Kat could be pregnant?"

Abby frowned, immediately thinking about how difficult it would be to birth and raise a child in the midst of their situation and grew infinitely more worried. "Concussion and pregnancy symptoms are very similar – "

"And her and Bellamy have been very… active," Clarke added, putting it as lightly as she could.

Abby's brain was racing. "I would have to run some tests, but I suppose it's – "

"I'm not fucking pregnant," Kat groaned, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Kat!" Clarke cried in surprise as Abby hurried over. "How are you feeling?" She asked worriedly as Abby pulled back Kat's eyelids to shine a light in each eye.

"Barren and childless," Kat rasped, swatting Abby's hand away and sitting up slowly with a wince.

"I am your doctor, Kat Hale, quit joking around," Abby reprimanded sternly, searching Kat's face. "How are you feeling? Dizzy? Nauseous? Have you experienced any cramping since you've been down on the ground? When did you receive your contraceptive implant?"

Kat huffed an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes at the pair of them. "I feel fine. I'm a little dizzy, not nauseous. No I haven't had any cramping and you should know when I got my procedure done _Dr. Griffin_, as you were the one who did it." Abby raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, and Kat rolled her eyes again. "I got my period for the first time when I was thirteen."

Abby's frown deepened. "The procedure usually lasts 5-10 years. You should have gotten checked this year but - "

"But I was supposed to be dead," Kat interrupted in a flat voice, her grey eyes accusing.

* * *

**Kat's POV**

Kat watched Abby look away, the guilt flaring in her eyes and decided to change the subject, swinging her gaze to Clarke. "So what did I miss while I was annoyingly unconscious?" Clarke smiled, glad to see that Kat's attitude was back at least. Her smile quickly faded as she processed the question and was reminded of her meeting with the Commander. Kat picked up on the sudden tension in the room. "What? What's happened?"

"I just returned from a meeting with the Commander," Clarke told her after taking a deep breath. "We have a chance for a truce."

Kat's eyes flickered between Clarke's blue ones. "I would have thought this was good news," she commented in confusion, frowning. "But you don't look happy about it. What does she want in return?"

"She wants Finn," Clarke whispered in a strangled voice, though she swallowed hard and struggled to keep a strong face, blinking multiple times. "Blood must have blood."

"Let me guess," Kat snapped in a hard voice, scowling at Abby. "Our new _Chancellor_ has already agreed."

"Kat," Clarke warned as Abby's eyes narrowed.

"What?" Kat asked, still glaring daggers at Abby. "She sent us down here to die, Clarke, and she agreed to kill hundreds of people for a couple months worth of oxygen on the Ark – "

"That was a different time," Abby interrupted angrily. "I will not sacrifice a child's life for peace – "

"You say that now," Kat interjected, crossing her arms. "We'll see if that changes when the grounders are at our gates. Then we'll find out if you've really changed."

There was a long, tense moment of silence as Kat and Abby stared each other down. With an obvious effort, Abby took a deep breath. "You need to rest, Kat, your body still hasn't recovered. This station isn't as well stocked with medical supplies as I would like and unfortunately one of the machines that we use to detect pregnancy is broken. I'm going to find Jackson and have him oversee the repairs – "

"Don't waste his time – " Kat growled in frustration.

"Cut it out, Kat," Clarke sighed, rolling her eyes. "We need to take every precaution. If you are pregnant – "

"What?" They all whipped their heads around to see Bellamy entering the medical tent, his eyes wide with shock, his voice low and horrified. "What… did you just – what did you say?"

Kat's heart leaped at the sight of him, but at the same time annoyance ran through her. He wasn't supposed to hear this bullshit. "They didn't say anything," Kat interjected quickly before Abby or Clarke could open their big mouths. "I'm fine! But I could really use something to eat," she said conversationally, hopping off the bed and hoping to distract all of them.

She stumbled as her head swam dizzyingly, and all three of them converged to steady her. She swore explosively, waving them all away. "Stop, I'm fine – "

"You're obviously not fine, Kat," Clarke accused, forcing her to sit back down.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Bellamy asked in a loud voice, his tan skin looking pale. "Is she pregnant? I thought women got those procedures, and can only get pregnant after their doctor takes out implant."

"I'm not – "

"We're not sure," Abby answered as if she hadn't spoken. "We're going to have to run some tests – "

"I'm not pregnant!" Kat exploded in frustration, effectively shutting them all up.

Octavia chose that moment to enter the tent. She froze, eyes huge, mouth opening and closing as they all turned to look at her. She hesitantly pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "I just… Lincoln's awake and he said he's willing to talk…." Her gaze landed on Kat and she looked concerned. "Are you pregnant?"

Kat let out a small scream of frustration, burying her hands in her hair and pulling. If they all didn't shut the fuck up soon she was going to lose it. Bellamy seemed to realize this too because he looked around the room and asked in a quiet voice. "Can you guys give us a minute?"

"Yes," Clarke responded immediately, grabbing her mom's arm and steering her towards the door. "We're going to go talk to Lincoln."

"Great," Kat piped up, not looking at Bellamy as she stood once more. "I'll come with you."

"Don't even think about it," Abby warned over her shoulder as Clarke pulled her away. "You're officially on bed rest, Katerina Hale!"

Kat watched miserably as Clarke pushed a confused and alarmed Octavia out of the room and crossed her arms as she was left alone with Bellamy. "Kat – " Bellamy began in a soft voice, reaching for her.

She pulled away, giving a sigh and shaking her head. She pretended not to notice the hurt flicker in his eyes. "Bellamy, I'm not pregnant. Reaper Lincoln just hit me in the head a little too hard is all."

"Are you sure?" Bellamy asked, his expression serious as his brown eyes captured hers. "Can you be one hundred percent certain that you're not?"

Kat opened her mouth to say yes when Abby's words came back to her. The implant lasted five to ten years, and it had been five since her own. "I'm not pregnant," she repeated stubbornly, but it was too late, she knew that he had seen her hesitation.

She could see the fear and uncertainty lurking in his eyes and he swallowed harshly, his legs giving out as he sat down heavily on the bed. His eyes were trained on the floor, brows furrowed as he thought things through. "Alright," he nodded after a moment, looking back up at her. "Okay. This isn't ideal, obviously, but I think we should wait for Abby's test – "

Kat threw up her arms, abruptly furious. "What are you talking about? I'm not pregnant, Bell, why aren't you on my side about this?"

"There are no sides Kat!" Now the frustration was leaking through his voice as he quickly stood up, glaring down at her, his nostrils flared. He blinked and the tension seemed to drain out of him, his voice growing softer and his expression pleading. "Let Abby run her tests so we can be sure." He grabbed her hands, his thumbs brushing the backs. "And if you are pregnant, then we'll deal with that when the time comes. It'll be tough to raise a child down on the ground, especially during a war, but we can make it work. I'm sure – "

Kat couldn't believe what she was hearing. Bad boy, bad ass Bellamy Blake was actually talking about raising a baby together and she couldn't decide if that simple fact made her want to laugh, scream or throw up. Feeling like she was having an out of body experience, Kat shook her head, pulling her hands away from him and stepping back. "Whoa, you need to slow the fuck down, Blake. This isn't some happy little fairytale where we create a little family and start raising children together. Like you said, we're in the middle of a war and we can literally die any day. Even if I did want to have kids, I wouldn't want to raise them in this kind of environment – what kind of life would that be?" She kept her face a stony mask, refusing to waver as she watched him struggle to comprehend this new information, and pushed on. "IF I am pregnant, and that's a big if… then I won't be keeping the baby."

Bellamy's face went slack with bewilderment. She could sense the moment that he wrapped his head around what she had just said, disgust, revulsion, and an automatic denial flickering across his face. "You mean – _kill_ the baby?" He asked in a hushed voice, obviously not even wanting to say the words out loud. "Kat, you can't – "

Kat let out a harsh, crazed laugh. "Of course I can! The thing would be growing inside _my_ body, wouldn't it? My body, my decision." Her tone was final, the end to the argument, but that only seemed to make him angrier.

His lips twisted as his eyes flashed. He took another step closer to her, towering over her, his shoulders tense and stiff. "That _thing_ in there is half mine, it wouldn't even be there if not for me – "

"Yeah, thanks for that," Kat snarled sarcastically, rolling her eyes. At some point the theoretical baby had stopped being imaginary, but Kat was too far gone, too engrossed in the argument and her rage. She had thought it was annoying when Bellamy was trying to be sympathetic and understanding but now that he was trying to sway a decision that should be hers alone… it made her want to hit him. "This is none of your concern – "

"I'm the father!" Bellamy roared, clenching his fists, an ugly look on his face. "Aren't I, _Kitten?"_

Kat recoiled, hurt, offended and indignant that he had the balls to say that to her face. "How dare you – "

"No, how dare you!" He continued to bellow, spittle flying in her face, his brown eyes darker and angrier than she could ever remember seeing them. "This pregnancy doesn't just affect you and since that child has_ my_ DNA, than I get some say in what happens to it. I will not let you add an innocent baby to your already rapidly growing list of people you've murdered – "

The sound of Kat's backhanded slap resounded through the medical tent, Bellamy's head snapping to the side. She felt herself shutting down, withdrawing deep within herself, her face going blank like it used to whenever her father walked into the room with that look in his eye. She was made of ice, of stone, of metal, of whatever was necessary so that nothing could get through the cracks. "Get out." Even her voice was empty and even, smooth and fluid.

His hand automatically reached up to touch the rapidly growing red mark on his face. Chagrined, realizing he had probably gone too far, he tried to reach for her. "Kat – "

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Fine," he snapped unhappily. "But this conversation isn't over."

Kat watched him walk away. She didn't punch the wall in anger, pull her hair in frustration or curl up on the bed in hopelessness. She took a moment to compose herself and shoved those inconsequential feelings to the side, striding over to pick up her sword, which was lying on the floor next to the bed, and strapping it to her back.

For the first time in her life, Kat was going to make a decision to take care of herself, to look out for her own safety. And in order to do that, she was going to need to talk to Lincoln.

He wasn't hard to find, luckily, as he was being treated and apparently held in the medical bay as well, just as few doors down. She found Octavia in the room with him, but thankfully Abby and Clarke were nowhere in sight. Octavia's eyes widened and she leapt to her feet, concern written all over her face. "Kat! Are you okay? What's going on – "

"I need to speak with him alone," Kat interrupted, without taking her eyes from Lincoln.

Octavia searched her face and apparently didn't like what she saw there. Looking troubled, she tried to walk over to Kat, lowering her voice. "What's wrong?" She asked. "What happened with Bellamy – "

"Nothing of importance," Kat answered dismissively. "I said that I need to speak with him alone."

Octavia opened her mouth to argue once more, but this time it was Lincoln who interrupted her. "It's alright, Octavia. I'll speak with her." She looked between Lincoln and Kat for a long moment, worry in her eyes, but in the end she just nodded, turning abruptly to leave the room.

Kat relaxed infinitesimally once she was gone, and took a moment to observe him, her eyes lingering on the restraints tied around his wrists and the messy, overgrown beard on his face. "Are they afraid that you'll turn back into a reaper?" She asked, nodding to the restraints.

Lincoln looked down at them too and shook his head slightly. "This was my decision. I refuse to lose control again, I refuse to hurt anybody else."

Kat tilted her head to the side in curiosity, remembering the red glaze to his eyes and the feral, one minded need to kill. "What was it like? Being a reaper."

A dark look crossed his face, and if Kat wasn't mistaken there was a hint of wild fear lurking in his eyes. "You lose yourself," he answered simply. "Who you were before you were turned, the people you loved or hated… it ceases to exist. There is only the rage, the overwhelming hunger and the need to kill. But the worst part? The worst part is when they save you. They don't understand that you can never be the person you once were. That everything you've done while you were under the drug doesn't just disappear. It haunts you when you're awake, it haunts you when you're asleep and it leaves you afraid that you're going to lose control again."

A shiver of her own fear and apprehension ran down Kat's spine. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be in Lincoln's place, but she knew that she wouldn't ever want to be in that position. "It may not seem like it, but you have people here who care for you, more than just Octavia. Some of us don't conveniently forget everything you've done for us just because you're a Grounder."

If he was surprised by her words, he didn't show it. He just inclined his head slightly and changed the topic. "Are you here about Finn? I already told the others that there's nothing you can do to save him. If you refuse to turn him over to the Commander, then hundreds of your people will die."

Kat didn't know how to feel about it. "What will she do to him?"

His voice was low, his expression unforgiving and unflinching. "It'll start with fire since he took the lives of the innocents. Then they'll take his hands… his tongue… his eyes. Everyone that's grieving will have a turn with a knife and when the sun rises, the Commander will end it with her sword."

"If he's not dead already," Kat pointed out, swallowing the bile in her throat. He nodded. "What Finn did was terrible, horrific, and inexcusable. I believe that he deserves to be punished for killing those innocent people, but to die like that…. I don't know if that is what he deserves."

"It doesn't matter what you feel he deserves," Lincoln countered with a deadpan expression. "This is what is necessary if you and your people want peace."

Kat nodded, accepting that, and pushed the matter to the side to think about it more fully later. "To be honest, I didn't come here to talk about Finn. I need to ask you a favor. But first I need you to swear that you won't tell anyone what we discussed today. Not Bellamy, not Clarke, not even Octavia." Lincoln's eyebrows raised and she could tell that he was intrigued. "Do I have your word?"

"You have my word," Lincoln agreed, nodding.

Kat steeled herself, working to be as expressionless as he was, to keep any emotion out of her voice. "I need your help and your knowledge of this world. I need some sort of plant or drink or whatever it is that will help me end a possible pregnancy." She took a deep breath. "Just in case."

* * *

**Bellamy's POV**

Bellamy didn't understand what just happened. He had tried to be patient, sympathetic and understanding. He had tried to think of the right thing to do or say in this situation, he had tried to step up and be a proper man, when all he really wanted to do was run in the opposite direction. When he had heard that Kat might be pregnant, underneath the initial shock was an immense amount of fear.

He loved Kat, more than he thought it was possible for him to love anybody, but he wasn't ready to be a father. He wanted more time with Kat, to get to know her better and love her without any distractions, but more than that, he wanted their people to have peace. War was a terrifying thing, there was always the threat of death hanging around their heads and it changes a person. Kat was right about one thing – this environment was no safe place to raise a child.

All of that didn't matter though. If Kat was pregnant, then he couldn't live with himself if he knowingly let Kat get rid of the baby. It was the most innocent, helpless being in this entire world and to kill it would haunt him for the rest of his life. It would blacken his very soul and he didn't know if he would be able to forgive himself for it.

He knew that Kat had a terrible, troubled childhood, that she still had the emotional scars as well as the physical ones, but he didn't think she would go so far as to kill an innocent child.

He wanted to go back in there, to yell, to apologize, to get her to see his side, but if the slap was any indication, she didn't want to talk to him. He knew he had crossed a line, he saw her withdrawing from him and part of him hated himself for doing that. It had taken Kat a very long amount of time to open up to him and he was terrified that he had just ruined everything that he had worked so hard for.

Fortunately, there wasn't much time for him to think about it. The grounders had surrounded them once more, hiding in the trees and chanting loud enough to be heard throughout their entire camp. Two riders with their masks covering their faces were waiting outside their gates. "They're just trying to scare us!" He called out to the rest of the guards, as well as the frightened people hovering around them. "Stay ready!"

When Abby exited the Ark station, striding towards the gates with a determined look on her face, Bellamy shifted the gun in his hands and followed after her, ready to jump in and help if need be. Clarke was next to him, her strong presence somehow comforting.

"Where's the boy?" One of the grounder riders growled, glaring down at them.

"We're not giving him up," Abby called defiantly, eyes blazing. "We're ready to fight, if that's what it comes to."

Bellamy tensed as a horn suddenly sounded and the riders abruptly turned to gallop away. _What does that mean?_ He thought frantically, his mind racing. _Are they going to attack?_ "Keep your eyes on the woods!" He shouted, taking a few steps closer to the Chancellor, snapping his gun up to his eye when he saw movement, a figure stepping out of the tree line.

Shock ran through him when he recognized Kane striding toward them, alone and looking unharmed. Abby went to meet him and they talked for a moment. Bellamy's eyes continued to flicker behind them into the woods, still feeling uneasy. "We can't be out in the open," he told them, moving forward. "We need to get somewhere safe."

"We're safe for the moment," Kane told them as he entered the gates, gesturing to Abby. "Come on, we need to talk. I've managed to buy us some time."

Bellamy and Clarke turned to watch them go. "Why would they just let him go?" Bellamy asked her quietly, still feeling extremely uneasy.

"I don't know." Clarke sounded and looked just as worried. "I'm going to go find Finn. You stay and wait for whatever decision they make." He nodded and began to walk away when she spoke again. "Bellamy? What happened with Kat?"

Fear and shame and anger burned through him, making him pause for a moment, but he didn't turn to look at her. Part of him wanted to explain what happened, to see what side Clarke would be on, but he didn't want to deal with those emotions right now. "I don't want to talk about it," he muttered finally, before continuing on his way.

Something in his gut told him that the conversation between Abby and Kane would go against what him and the rest of them were trying to accomplish, which was to keep Finn safe. Raven joined him in waiting outside the council chambers, a grave expression on her face as she paced back and forth. He could tell that she was barely holding herself together.

It felt like ages before Abby finally emerged, and when she did, she ordered them out of her way and spouted some nonsense about how they were all trying to find a way out of this. "They're going to give him up," Bellamy said with a sudden realization.

"What?" Raven hissed, snapping her head around to look at him. "They can't do that!"

"We won't let them," he reassured her, making a split second decision and sticking by it. "Get some supplies and meet me by your gate. I'm going to go get Finn."

She nodded, her eyes showing gratitude, but he was just thankful she didn't mention it. He hurried through the corridors of the Ark station, ignoring everyone else that he passed as he searched for Finn. "Finn!" He called, jogging over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "We need to go."

He didn't argue, just followed after Bellamy with a grim look. Clarke wasn't having it, however, and she argued as she hurried along beside them. "No!" She disagreed hotly, glaring at Bellamy. "You know that this is the safest place for him – "

"Not anymore," Bellamy interjected. "They're turning on him, Clarke. We can protect him at the dropship until we can figure this thing out." The people of Camp Jaha watched with dark, distrusting eyes following Finn's every movement as they quickly walked past. "Grab your gear," Bellamy continued in a hushed voice. "Meet me at Raven's Gate in five. She's already working on cutting the power."

"Fine, but nobody's coming with me," Finn told them in a serious voice, daring them to disagree. "I won't be responsible for someone getting hurt because of me."

"That isn't up for discussion."

"We are _surrounded_ by grounders, Bellamy!" Clarke hissed, looking indecisive. "We're not going to be able to sneak out of here without anybody noticing."

"We split up, we take the low ground and we'll make it through," Bellamy assured her, feeling frustrated that they were wasting time talking about this. "We don't have any other choice."

"There he is!" A man followed by ten to fifteen others approached them, an ugly look on his face as his eyes fell on Finn. A snarl was on his lips and a lead pipe was in his hand. "You are going to get us killed!"

A scowl crossed Bellamy's face and he released a low growl of frustration at the crowd that was beginning to gather. He needed to act quickly and stop this before it even got started. Raising the gun strapped around his shoulders, he swiftly stepped forward into the man's personal space and slammed the butt of the gun into his gut. The man collapsed on the floor, clutching his stomach in pain and struggling to breathe. "Anybody else?" He called in a deep voice, glaring at the crowd.

"Bellamy's right," he heard Clarke whisper to Finn, watching the people with distrust. "We have to go."

Glad that Clarke had finally come around, he jogged after them as they pushed their way through the crowd and headed for the door that would lead them to Raven's Gate.

He swallowed yet another noise of frustration when they had to slow because of yet another figure standing in their way, silhouetted against the outside sun. His jaw clenched when it turned around and he got close enough to see that it was Kat.

Her arms were crossed and her expression was still carefully blank, though when her gray eyes flickered to Finn, they narrowed slightly. Bellamy could feel Clarke glancing at him out of the corner of his eye and he knew she was waiting for him to say something. But the moment he had seen Kat, his mouth had run dry as their argument came crashing back, and all the things that he said and still wanted to say had come back to haunt him. It was a new feeling. He was both sad and angry at the same time and he didn't know what to say or do to bridge the mile long gap between them.

Clarke stepped forward when Bellamy didn't move, her blue eyes pleading and her voice cautious. "Kat… I know how you feel about what Finn did, and in no way am I saying that it's okay. But he doesn't deserve some barbaric Grounder ritual of justice. They're going to torture him until he's dead, Kat. Nobody deserves that."

"I disagree," Kat countered in a cold voice, unconsciously reaching a hand up to trace the scar around her eye. "There are some people in this world who deserve worse." Bellamy shifted his grip on the gun, wondering what was going through her mind right now. He knew that she felt Finn deserved some sort of punishment – would she call out for the guards? Would this turn into a fight? He tensed when she moved, though it was only to step out of the way to let them past.

"Why?" Finn asked simple, his voice thick and his face confused.

"I remember the Finn from when we first came to the ground. The one who fought for other people, the one who fought for peace when everyone else just wanted to fight. _That_ Finn doesn't deserve that type of death. It's for him that I'm going to let you go. I really hope that he can make his way past this."

"Thank you," Clarke murmured, her relief evident. She put a hand on Finn's back to guide him out the door, pausing next to Kat and gratefully squeeze her arm on her way past.

"Don't make me regret it," she warned, giving them both a meaningful look before walking away in the opposite direction.

Bellamy closed his eyes as she walked past him, breathing in the scent of her and fighting the urge to fall at her feet and beg for her forgiveness. It was a minute before he was able to compose himself and continue on after Clarke and Finn. Her dismissal of him hurt more than he thought it would.

She hadn't looked at him once the entire time.

* * *

**Kat's POV**

"I know that look," Kat called, pushing off the Ark station and walking over to Abby who had just exited with a determined expression. "You Griffin women are all the same, apparently. What are you planning?"

Abby ignored that, slowing to glance at her with an exasperated roll of her eyes. "What are you doing, Kat? You're supposed to be on bed rest."

Kat snorted, crossing her arms. "And what, just lie in bed all day with nothing but my own thoughts? With all that's been going on? I'll go insane and probably end up getting myself in trouble."

Abby hesitated, glancing around her before stepping closer and muttering in a low voice, "Lincoln says Indra is one of the loudest voices that speak to the Commander against agreeing to a truce. I arranged a meeting with her face to face – "

Kat let out a little laugh, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. "You're going to talk to _Indra_? Abby there's no reasoning with that woman, she hates us and would rather see us all dead."

"I have to try," Abby insisted heatedly, and Kat recognized the weight that she was feeling as Chancellor. She was responsible not only for Finn's life, but for the life of everyone in this camp. "If I can't get through to her, then maybe I can show her that we feel their pain. I have to do something!"

Kat nodded slowly, a frown on her face as her mind raced. When she looked up at Abby, her mind was made up, her determined expression mirroring Abby's. "Alright. I'm coming with you. As backup."

This time Abby's eyebrows raised high into the air. "Why? You haven't exactly hidden your dislike of me."

Kat shrugged. "I've seen how much a person can change, how much I've changed since I've been down here. A few months ago you wouldn't have hesitated to hand over Finn for the greater good of your people, but now I can see that you're at least searching for other possible options. And that shows me that maybe you've changed. We're not perfect, Abby. But I'm not going to let you meet Indra without backup – you know what I can do and you know that I can help."

Abby gave her a sad smile, a lost expression in her eyes. "I guess I have to stop viewing you all as kids, don't I," she murmured softly. Kat shifted, unsure how to answer that, but the moment passed and Abby took a deep breath, the vulnerable look gone and the Chancellor in it's place. "Alright, Kat. Request granted. Let's go."

They left immediately, walking out the front gate and heading a short distance away from the Camp. Kat trailed behind Abby, her sword safely in her sheath though she would much rather have it in her hand, especially when Indra stepped out from the forest, a dark expression on her face as she headed towards them, two silent guards of her own behind her.

"Why have you come, Leader of the Sky People?" Indra asked, stopping a short distance away.

"To talk," Abby told her in a calm voice, walking forward and holding out her empty hands. "We have both seen too many of our people die."

Indra walked forward as well, and quick as a flash, she had a knife out and pressed against Abby's throat. Kat moved at the same time that Indra did, her sword out of it's sheath and pressed against Indra's side. It was like a domino effect – only a second later, Indra's guards had their own swords out and aimed at Kat.

"Give me the word, Chancellor," Kat told her, her eyes on Indra and her body poised for action.

"No," Abby told her calmly, holding her chin high. "Hold your position."

"You came to lie," Indra hissed, her face right in front of Abby's, who Kat was proud to see had managed to grip Indra's wrist before the dagger touched her neck. "I have seen your killer in the forest. You ordered him to run and then you came here to distract us."

Abby's eyes flickered over to Kat and her jaw set when she saw the truth in her eyes. Instead of claiming she had no idea, Abby told the truth. "I'm just trying to keep my people alive," she told Indra, not flinching from the dagger or her fear. "Same as you."

"You told our riders you were ready to fight. If we don't find the boy, you will be able to prove that."

"You kill one of ours, we kill two of yours," Abby glared back at her. "That only helps the Mountain Men." Kat could tell that Abby's words gave Indra pause. "There has to be another way to end this without bloodshed," she insisted passionately.

"You have courage," Indra murmured finally, her gaze searching Abby's face. She took a deliberate step backwards, lowering her knife to her side. Abby nodded at Kat, who reluctantly sheathed her sword and stepped back, Indra's guards doing the same. "But courage is not justice." Her next words were final, and they hung over them, clouding the air and making them feel helpless. "Only the boy can die for what the boy has done."

"Now what?" Kat asked Abby, walking over to her as they both watched Indra and her guards disappear into the forest. Kat had to admit that she was impressed with the way that Abby handled herself. She showed no fear in the face of an intimidating Indra and it was clear from the passion in her voice that she truly wanted to find a solution where nobody had to get hurt.

But it was also clear that they were quickly running out of options. "I don't know," Abby whispered honestly. "But we'll think of something." Kat followed her back to camp, her hands deep in her pockets and her thoughts weighing heavily on her mind. "You're worried," Abby guessed after glancing at her in the following silence.

"Wouldn't you be?" Kat asked rhetorically, not really expecting an answer.

"It's hard, having a baby - especially raising one. We traded one set of dangers for another. But despite the grounder threat, everyone feels like there is actual hope here. That we can get through this rough time in order to make a real home for ourselves. Where our children and grandchildren won't have to fear getting floated for a simple mistake. There will always be rules and danger - that's a fact of life. But I would like to believe that a child down here will have a much better life than a child who was born on the Ark. There will be more freedom here, especially once we claim a spot on this planet for ourselves."

Kat thought on her words long after she had left to tell Kane what had occurred. Could they do it? Could they raise a child in this world despite the fears that threatened to hold them back?

* * *

**Bellamy's POV**

This plan was quickly going to shit. Finn and Clarke made it late to the dropship because they were attacked by a grounder. Clarke was hit pretty hard on the head and was knocked out for a long time. Add that to the fact that they were now surrounded by grounders on all sides and it made for a very dire situation.

"They're not moving any closer," Murphy observed from where they were peeking out from behind the old parachute they had hung to cover the entrance.

"Staying out of range," Bellamy grunted in annoyance, turning back to look at their group. "They're waiting until it's dark."

He could both see and feel their hopelessness in the way their shoulders slumped and the dark look in their eyes. Murphy seemed to feel it as well. "If we hit them now, at least we take them by surprise!" He whirled around, eyes flashing.

"We don't even know how many of them are out there," Clarke argued, shaking her head.

"I'm not hearing any better ideas, Clarke," Murphy snorted, his sarcastic smile playing around the edges of his mouth.

Raven stopped her pacing to join the group and Bellamy decided right then that he didn't like the dark, reckless look on her face. "We give them something that they want," she announced, her brown eyes flat.

"The only thing they want is Finn," Bellamy pointed out, not seeing where she was going with this.

"Finn wasn't the only one at the village."

Horror filled him as he finally began to understand Raven's plan, why she had invited Murphy in the first place. "Raven, hold on – "

"What are you talking about?" Clarke asked, shaking her head. She looked like she had an inkling of where Raven was going with this, but didn't want to actually acknowledge that she could do something like this.

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" Murphy snarled, a scowl crossing his face. "I'm here to protect Finn, you're the one who invited me – " He froze as it finally sunk in, and Bellamy was actually surprised to see a hurt look cross his face before he covered it with his usual Murphy smirk. "You planned this. You wanted me to take his place."

"Enough grounders saw him at the village, they would believe he was the shooter," Raven explained in a hard, unflinching voice. Bellamy had never seen that unforgiving look on her face, and the fact that she was willing to go to these lengths to save Finn was both a terrifying and powerful thing. It was almost as bad as the lengths that Finn went to in order to find Clarke.

"Sick bitch," Murphy growled.

"Raven you can't do this – "

"You know what they'll do to him – "

She ignored them all. "They want a murderer? We'll give them a murderer." Looking extremely unhinged and yet also incredibly in control of herself, Raven raised her gun and clicked off the safety. "Drop your gun," she ordered.

"Go to hell," Murphy retorted, taunting her with a flat expression as he stepped closer to her.

"Stop it Raven," Clarke insisted, looking between the pair of him. "Like it or not, he's one of us – "

"I said drop it," she spat, pushing her own gun into his chest.

"Stop it!" Finn cried, lunging forward and pushing Raven's gun away, his face distressed at what this was coming to. "We're not doing this," he told Raven pointedly, causing her to look away. "They have us surrounded. Our only option is to stay and defend this place."

"I'm with you," Bellamy declared, feeling relieved when everybody else murmured their agreements.

"Good. Murphy, go upstairs and watch the rear," Finn ordered, taking charge with a no nonsense look on his face. "I'll take the lower level and you three take the front gate. _That_ is the plan," he insisted, meeting each of their eyes to make sure they understood how serious he was. "Understood?"

Everyone nodded and without any more complaints or arguments, they each left to do as they were told. Bellamy, Clarke and Raven slipped out of the drop ship, hurry to take cover behind the old defenses that they had set up for the previous battle. "Keep your eyes peeled," he ordered, lifting his gun into the ready position, straining his ears and eyes for any sort of movement out in the forest.

There was nothing for the longest time, only the sound of Bellamy's own breathing and the feeling of his heart pounding in his chest. "Look!" Raven suddenly called in a hushed whisper. "It's…." Her voice trailed off as a figure suddenly stepped out from behind the wall and they saw who it was. "Finn," she breathed in a shocked, horrified whisper.

"No!" Clarke shouted as he turned to face them, his eyes resolute as he raised his hands in the air. She lunged to her feet and started to run toward him. "Finn!"

It all happened so quickly. Bellamy had just stood, acting too slowly in his disbelief, when the grounders converged on Finn, shouting in their language and taking him away in the blink of an eye.

There was nothing left for them to do. They all stood there for a moment in their shock. Bellamy could feel the waves of desperation, anger, and fear rolling off both Raven and Clarke. At the same time, however, Bellamy wasn't completely surprised by Finn's sacrifice. He had been saying all along that he didn't want anyone else to get hurt for him, Bellamy knew that he hated the fact that they were keeping him safe at the risk of death and war.

"Come on," Bellamy murmured to them, putting a comforting hand on Raven's shoulder. "We should get back and let the others know what happened."

Raven made a disgusted noise and shrugged his hand off, but stalked inside the dropship all the same to gather her pack. She kept up her pissed off exterior on their long walk back as she took the lead, and there was an angry, sullen Murphy bringing up the rear.

"How are you doing?" Bellamy asked Clarke, the only person who wasn't like to bite his head off.

She shook her head, looking lost. "Why would he do something like that?" She asked heatedly. "How could he just agree to be tortured and killed?"

"You know why," Bellamy told her gently, his brown eyes sympathetic.

"To atone for what he's done," Clarke sighed, looking away. "And to save everyone that he thinks he's putting in danger."

"You can be angry with him all you like, Clarke." Bellamy's lips twitched with the sad irony. "But you would have made the same decision that he did. You would not have let other people die just to keep yourself safe. And that's not something that I can fault him for - "

"Let's talk about something else," she interrupted, glancing up at him curiously. "What happened with Kat? I almost got frostbite from with icy tension between you two earlier."

"Let's talk about something else," Bellamy repeated her words, uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"I've known Kat longer than anyone else here," Clarke reminded him. "Let me guess. She's pushed you away." Bellamy glanced at her sharply in surprise and Clarke nodded, her expression resigned. "Kat spent our entire childhood keeping me at arm's length. We were kids, but I noticed her unkempt hair and clothes and the days that she missed school. I tried to get her to open up to me, tried to get her to come over to my place to hang out, but she always had excuses. We were _thirteen_ years old when I finally convinced her to come over for dinner. Her dad found out and practically dragged her from the room – I've never seen someone look so frightened as Kat did that night. When I went over to her place to check on her, I saw her father hit her and though she pleaded with me not to, I told my mother who told Jaha. Kat's father found out and went after her and Kat had to kill him in order to survive. I didn't know it at the time, but Kat pushed me away for all those years because she was afraid of what her father would do if someone found out about what he was doing."

Bellamy hated hearing about the scared, young version of Kat and whenever her father was mentioned, he wanted to bring that bastard back to life just so he could slowly kill him all over again. He loathed anyone who caused Kat pain, and at that moment, Bellamy realized that he was one of those people. "If she is pregnant," he found himself telling Clarke in a soft voice. "She wants to get rid of the baby."

Clarke closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head. "I feared it was something like that. You need to look at it from her point of view – she had a terrible childhood and she's just learning how to take care of herself properly. She's truly living for the first time in eighteen years."

"So you agree with her?" He asked her hotly, getting upset all over again. "Maybe she needs to look at it from my point of view! When my mother realized she was pregnant with Octavia, she could have gotten the baby too. And if she had, I would have a little sister – "

"I'm not saying I agree with her," Clarke interjected, reassuring him quickly. "But I do believe that she has a choice to make. You _both_ do. You need to talk to her and explain your side of things. Have an open and honest conversation. While the thought of having a little Bellamy or Kat running around is terrifying," she smiled jokingly, though it was still tinged with that sadness. "I do think that both of you would be great parents if that is what you decide to do. You love each other and in this type of situation, that's all that matters."

* * *

**Kat's POV**

All of Camp Jaha stood safely behind their electric gates, eerily silent as they watched what was happening on the other side of their walls. She could see thousands of torches lighting the open field, could hear all of the grounders chanting and jeering as they set up a funeral post that was meant to hold Finn. Kat hated the feeling of helplessness and injustice that she was feeling. While she didn't agree with the Councils nonexistent punishment for Finn, he didn't deserve this kind of painful, torturous death.

"We've got to get him," she heard Bellamy suddenly say, his voice more emotional then she would have expected. "We'll get in close and hit them hard.

"Son," Kane said gently, his face grim. "There's thousands of them. Even if we could kill hundreds, they would still wipe out this camp and your friend would still die."

Raven tried next, tears in her voice. "Abby, we have to do something! We have to do something!"

Abby's face was heartbroken and sympathetic as she turned to the distraught girl. "No, Raven," she whispered.

Clarke, who was standing on one side of Kat, had obviously heard what the others were saying, and Kat felt her shoulders tense. She stepped back and slipped into the crowd, with Kat, Bellamy and Raven following her lead.

"Take this," she told Bellamy, handing him her gun as she walked towards the gate.

"What are you going to do?" Bellamy asked apprehensively.

"I'm going to talk to the Commander," Clarke told them resolutely. "I have to try."

"Give me your hand," Raven commanded, turning Clarke's wrist over and placing a piece of the dagger gently up Clarke's sleeve. "If she won't let him go… kill her."

Clarke nodded grimly, but Kat disagreed with that plan entirely. "Are you insane?" She hissed, looking between both girls. "If she stabs the Commander in front of the thousands of grounders surrounding her on all sides, that's a death wish, Raven! There's no way that Clarke would get out of there alive."

Raven shook her head. "Things will go crazy and we'll grab her and Finn!" She turned back to Clarke, her expression pleading. "Clarke, you have to help! I owe him my life," she whispered brokenly.

Kat watched Clarke shoulder that responsibility as she nodded again. Kat felt incredibly torn, warring with herself before making a split decision. Clarke made it a few more steps to the gate before Kat stepped forward, grabbing her arm to stop her and whisper in her ear. "Don't do anything stupid, Blondie. Don't get yourself killed."

She stepped back once more as the gates opened for Clarke, and the three of them stepped up closer to the wire walls to watch. There was nothing left for them to do. They could only watch Clarke's blonde head get smaller as she entered the grounders camp. They saw the grounders part for her like waves, tensed when Indra held a spear to her stomach before the Commander ordered her to stand down. Clarke made her way to the Commander, but they were too far away to hear what was being said.

Kat could hear her own heartbeat resonating throughout her entire body, her muscles taut as a bowstring and her jaw clenched. Her eyes stayed on Clarke the entire time, knowing that if she made a move on the Commander that they were too far away to help her. Kat breathed a sigh of relief as Clarke stepped away from Lexa and made her way over to Finn. She couldn't help but feel terrible for the other girl as she kissed and embraced the boy that she loved, and she could feel her throat burning with her emotions when Finn buried his head into Clarke's shoulder.

She was not prepared for what came next, however. When Clarke stepped away from Finn, his head was still hanging down lifelessly and even from here she could see the bright red stain on the front of his shirt. Her mouth parted in shock, her eyes widening as Clarke turned around, tears streaming down her face and the realization sunk in. Clarke had just used the knife that Raven had given her to kill Finn before the grounders could.

A high, piercing scream shattered the sudden silence of the night, making Kat jump, looking over to her left to see Bellamy catch Raven as she sank to her knees, sobbing and screaming, his own expression of devastation on his face as he tried in vain to soothe her.

Kat's head snapped back around, her eyes searching for Clarke, waiting for the moment that the grounders realized what she had done and turned to kill her instead. Some of them, Indra included, started forward as if to do just that, but the Commander raised her hand, said something, and the weapons were put away.

"Open the gates!" Abby shouted, pushing through the crowd as Clarke was led into a nearby tent. Kat ran after her, followed by Kane, Bellamy and Raven after she staggered back to her feet, still crying. Most of the grounders had begun to dissipate as they approached the grounder camp. Kat made to follow Abby and Kane as they went to follow Clarke into the tent, but Bellamy grabbed her arm and shook his head.

She followed his line of sight and watched Raven limp towards Finn's body, sobbing. "Cut him down!" She yelled to a few nearby grounders, her voice cracking with the strain. "Cut him down, damn it, did you hear me! You stupid, useless, piece of – "

Kat hurried forward to pull Raven back before she could get herself into trouble while Bellamy worked on cutting down Finn's body, gently lowering him to the floor. Raven shoved Kat to the side, stumbling to collapse near his head, a loud sob wracking her body as she reached out with shaking hands to brush his hair back from his face.

"Raven," Kat tried, not even sure what she was going to say, her heart breaking for her friend, hating to see her in this much pain.

"Go away," Raven snapped, her voice hitching even as she refuse to look away from Finn's face. "Nothing you say is going to make this any better, Kat. Just leave me alone."

Kat swallowed her protest at Raven's words, glaring at the grounders that stood guarding his body as Bellamy put a hand on the small of her back and led her to a secluded part of the field. "This shouldn't have happened," Kat groaned, collapsing on a nearby log and putting her head in her hands. "Clarke shouldn't have had to make that decision, Finn shouldn't have had to die and none of them should be in this much pain."

She felt Bellamy crouch down in front of her, could feel his concerned gaze. "She did what she thought was the right thing," he told her gently. "She saved him from a lot of pain."

"I know," Kat whispered, feeling a bleak humor in an impossible situation. "If there's one thing that's consistent about Clarke, it's that she always does the right thing,"

Bellamy gently reached out and grabbed her hands to pull them away from her face. She looked down at him, taking strength and solace from his strong presence. "We need to talk about this, Kat," he murmured. He didn't have to explain what he was talking about.

"I know," Kat repeated.

"I'm sorry!" They both blurted at the same time, smiling and relaxing a bit, the tension between them easing. "You first," Bellamy prompted, fondly reaching out and tugging the end of her ponytail.

"I love you," she told him fiercely, grabbing his hand to pull it into her lap and clutch it tightly, her gray eyes blazing. "I never want to lose you, Bellamy, and with everything that's happened today, I realized that I don't want to push you away either. I've changed so much from the person that I used to be and I don't want to be like her ever again. Let's talk about this," she whispered, her eyes searching his. "Open and honestly – "

Bellamy cut her off, reaching his other hand behind her neck and pulling her forward to crash his lips to hers, silencing her effectively as he kissed her soundly. She could feel the relief and the desperation in his kiss, and the passion with which his lips moved made her breathless. "I love you," he murmured, pulling back slightly as she stared at him with dazed eyes. "And I'm so proud of the person you've become."

"I'm scared, Bell," she whispered in a high, childlike voice, resting her forehead against his and holding both of his wrists as he cradled her face. "I don't remember my mother and the thought of becoming one fills me with such an overwhelming panic. I've never had that motherly instinct, I've never wanted kids – hell I've never even seen a baby up close! I wouldn't know what to do and I'd probably end up hurting it."

He pulled back a few inches, his eyes searching hers. "I'm scared too, Kat," he admitted. "But I'm not worried about you hurting our child. Nobody really knows what they're doing the first time they become a parent and it can be overwhelming. I'm sorry for those things that I said to you," he told her firmly, his thumbs brushing her cheeks at the uncertain look in her eye. "I'm sorry I hurt you. But when you were talking about getting rid of it – of the child that we might have made together – I lashed out. My mother could have gotten rid of Octavia when she found out she was pregnant. And if she had, then Octavia wouldn't be in my life at all, and that's a terrifying thought for me. I think about the person our child might become and can't even imagine not giving it the chance to live."

Kat mouthed wordlessly, feeling incredibly stupid for not thinking about how her words would affect him. "I'm sorry," she apologized immediately, her eyes wide with regret. "I didn't even think about Octavia. I wasn't thinking about anyone else but myself, really."

"I know," he told her gently, his hands moving down her arms to lace their fingers together. "I helped raise her, Kat. I've held a baby in my hands and watched her grow, and while it was a different experience since I was just a child myself, I know the basics of it. I would be there to help you, Kitten, every step of the way. Just try and picture it for a second. A tiny, perfect little baby that we created out of our love for each other. Someone that will love us unconditionally, someone that will depend on us and need us completely. We can do this, Katerina Hale," he told her vehemently, brown eyes smoldering. "We can raise this baby. Together."

Kat listened as his passionate voice washed over her, and against her will she could picture it, could almost feel that little baby with his tousled brown hair and her gray eyes in her arms, could almost feel the love that she had for it. She found herself nodding as he was speaking, her heart in her throat, though she was still scared out of her wits. "Yes," she breathed, blinking rapidly, but the picture of their small family was still there burned into her brain. "If… if I'm pregnant…I want to keep the baby."

A breathtaking, genuine smile crossed Bellamy's face as he sat up on his knees to gather her into his arms for a fierce hug. Kat wrapped her arms around his shoulders, burying her face in her neck as she shook slightly, overwhelmed with her decision, but knowing in her heart that it was the right one. There was a memory of her father that had been haunting her all day, one that she hadn't told anybody. On the day that she had killed him, when he had entered their rooms drunk and raging, he had let slip that he had tried to convince her mother to abort her when she had learned she was pregnant.

Kat was determined that she wasn't going to become anything like her father. That she would be strong like her mother even in the face of her crippling fear.

The sound of a throat being cleared caused them to pull apart and look around. Clarke was standing behind them, an emotionless, defeated look on her face. Abby was standing next to her, concern for her daughter emanating from her in waves. Both Kat and Bellamy stood. "We are taking Finn's body to TonDC, where his body will be burned along wit the other dead. Only then will we have peace and form an alliance to free our people in Mount Weather. I'm choosing you two to come along with me as my attendants. Go back to camp and grab a pack. We leave within the hour."

"Is she alright?" Kat asked worriedly as she watched Clarke walk away.

"No," Abby answered honestly, before taking a deep breath. "I just got word from Jackson. They managed to fix the machine. Let's get you checked out before we leave."

Fear filled Kat again, but this time for a different reason. Bellamy laced his hand with hers, offering whatever strength he could as they followed Abby back to camp. She wondered what he was thinking, and kept repeating the words that he had just said to her like a mantra. _Everything was going to be okay. They were going to raise this baby. Togeher._

She was instructed to take off her pants and underwear once they were in the medical tent and they had fired up the machine. She was covered in a blanket and told to lie down on a table. Bellamy sat by her head, running his fingers soothingly through her hair though she could feel the tension resonating within him. Kat kept her eyes on the ceiling of the tent, refusing to looking at what Abby was doing down there.

"This might feel a little uncomfortable," Abby warned, and Kat winced as something was inserted inside of her. "Try to relax."

Kat could feel her frantic heartbeat and tried to slow her rapid breaths. Sweat gathered at the nape of her neck as she clenched and unclenched her hands. "I'm with you no matter what happens," Bellamy murmured softly, leaning forward and pressing his lips to her temple. She nodded shakily as Abby pressed a few buttons on the machine before breathing out a sigh.

"Well?" Bellamy demanded impatiently, his jaw flexing.

"She's not pregnant."

Kat closed her eyes as the words washed over her, but not before she saw the disappointment and devastation on Bellamy's face. She expected to feel relief, but instead she had to fight the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.

This was what she had wanted from the beginning, wasn't it? To be free of the burden of a baby and to be given the chance to live her life with no responsibilities?

So why did this hurt so much? Why it feel like her heart had just shattered, the pieces cutting through her lungs and making it hard to breathe? But most importantly why did it feel like she had just lost a part of herself that she hadn't even known existed?

* * *

**Author's Note: This was such an unexpectedly emotional chapter for me to write. I hope that I explained both Kat's and Bellamy's thoughts and feelings appropriately and you agree with my decision for each of their reasonings.**

** To be completely honest, I threw Lexa's words about Kat possibly being pregnant in there last minute to stir up some drama, but was completely overwhelmed by the positive responses that I got now that Kat might be pregnant. It made me seriously think about what I was going to do, and I hope I didn't disappoint you all too much. I decided that it wasn't the right time for a pregnancy – but it doesn't mean I'll rule one out in the future. I think everyone needs a Bellerina baby with a protective Bellamy as the father in their lives!**

**I hope this long chapter makes up for my absence and I'll try not to take so long next time!**

**What did you guys think of the Season 3 premiere? I'm already not a fan of Bellamy's new girl. If you've thought of any ways to integrate Kat into the action I would love to hear your ideas!**

**As always, don't forget to review! You people are the reason I keep coming back to this story :)**


	11. Something to Remember Me By

**Author's Note: Woo hoo! New chapter out in less than a month AND I'm so close to 300 reviews! You guys are amazing, I'm so glad interest in this story has seemed to pick up again! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed!**

**This chapter was surprisingly easy to write, but it was really sad as well. Just a warning for all you wonderful readers – this chapter is rated M! Don't like it, skip the ending : )**

**Special thanks to Dannylionthe1st for being a great beta – don't forget to review!**

* * *

Chapter 11: Something to Remember Me By

"Hey," Octavia murmured, nudging Kat gently with her elbow, a small smile on her face. "How are you doing?"

Kat blinked away the haunting images of a fantasy that would never come to pass and glanced over at her concerned friend. "I'm not pregnant if that's what you're asking," Kat reassured her, a slight edge to her voice.

"I know, Bellamy told me," Octavia answered gently, watching her closely. "You alright?"

Kat looked away, shifting her pack as her eyes fell on where Bellamy was walking ahead of them, talking to Clarke. After the test, they didn't have much time to talk. The group going with the Commander and Clarke to TonDC had to hurriedly pack a bag – they had been walking for a few hours now and they certainly were an odd group. Abby and Kane were obviously here as Camp Jaha's leaders, along with Clarke, Kat, Bellamy, Octavia, Lincoln and Raven. The Commander brought Indra and her right hand man Gustus, along with a few other Grounders that they hadn't been introduced to who was carrying Finn's wrapped body between them on a board.

"I'm fine, Octavia," Kat told her again, brushing off her friend's concerns. "Besides, we have bigger issues to deal with. Clarke just _killed_ the guy she loves in order to save him from hours of torture. _I_ barely had time to process what just happened and now we have to go burn his body as part of some strange Grounder ritual," Kat finished with a low hiss. The thought of Finn's death sent a sick feeling through her stomach and made her feel a mixture of guilt and regret. She believed that Finn deserved to be punished for taking all those innocent lives – not like he had, of course – but now that he was gone she felt like maybe she should have done more to try and stop it.

"I know it's awful," Octavia murmured softly. "But we don't have any other choice. Not if we want to save everyone in Mount Weather. We need the Grounders as our allies if we want to do that."

Kat shoved her hands into her pockets, her expression sad and thoughtful. "Do you ever imagine what our lives would be like if we weren't constantly fighting to survive?"

Octavia now looked more concerned than ever, her brow furrowed as she looked over at Kat. "That's the end goal, Kat. We're doing _this_, forming an alliance with the Grounders, for peace. We're going up against Mount Weather to save our people."

Kat's lips lifted and she sighed. "I know. I guess part of me just doesn't understand. If we're all just fighting to survive, then why can't we all just retreat to our own corners and leave each other the fuck alone?" Octavia shrugged helplessly – there was no good answer to that one. "With the Grounders, anyway," Kat added after a moment. "The Mountain Men are using us to try and survive the radiation. Something definitely has to be done about that."

"And we will," Octavia promised, her jaw set. "We'll make them pay for what they've done."

"Weapons," the tall, masked grounder demanded, standing in their way. They had arrived at the village the next morning, the Commander and Gustus leading the way on their horses. The gates had opened and guards had spilled out, one of them holding a bin.

"We have to disarm before we enter," Lincoln told them in a grave voice, stepping forward and placing his weapon in the bin when everyone else around him hesitated.

Clarke followed Lincoln's lead, then Bellamy and the others. Grimacing in irritation, Kat unstrapped the sword around her back, looking darkly up at the grounder as she placed it in the bin. The Grounder didn't flinch or even look intimidated by her glare, but Kat hated feeling naked and unsafe without her weapon. Luckily they didn't check them too thoroughly, especially the places that were well hidden because Kat still had her dagger in her boot.

Raven, however, didn't hide hers too well. Kat's eyebrows slowly raised as Gustus plucked knife after knife off her body, all homemade. There was one in her pants leg, two in her jacket, one up her sleeve and one in her backpack. The look on Raven's face was one of pure murder. Gustus must have given the Commander the all clear because their group moved forward again, entering the village.

The Grounders of TonDC lined the entrance to the gates. They shouted things in their own language as Lexa and the others came into view, their voices jubilant, their smiles wide. Kat didn't know what they were saying, but she did recognize one word – "heda," which meant Commander. As the rest of their group came into view, however, the Grounders voices changed, turning dark and angry, their smiles disappearing. Those who were carrying weapons waved them in the air, pressing forward against them, spit flying through the air as they shouted.

Their arrival was halted as a man stood in their path, his arms crossed and a look of such hatred in his eyes. He spoke directly to Lexa in their language, the anguish in his voice nearly palpable. Kat wished she could understand what he was saying, but when Lexa nodded at Gustus and he stepped forward to deliver a wicked uppercut to the man's face, Kat thought she got the gist. "Holy shit," she muttered in a grim voice, watching as the man flew backwards and Gustus knelt to continue pummeling his face.

Clarke rushed to Lexa's side with wide, pleading eyes. "Stop this!" She insisted in a low voice. "Please? They're just going to blame us for this too."

Lexa muttered something to Gustus who stopped immediately, before she turned to face the village. "The Sky People march with us now," she ordered in a loud voice, her blank, expressionless eyes surveying her people, her tone brooking no argument. "Anyone who tries to stop that, will pay with their life."

"Warm welcome," Bellamy muttered in a sarcastic voice as Lexa turned and marched away again, the others following suit.

She led the way to the center of the village, and Kat slowed in her tracks, a chill going through her at what she saw. A large, rectangular funeral pyre formed a terrifying, imposing structure, but that wasn't the worst part. Bodies, wrapped and covered just like Finn stood against the wood, surrounding it completely and Kat's breath was taken away at just how many there were.

"Hi, Sky Girl. Miss me?" Recognizing the voice, a disbelieving smile was already turning her the corner of her lips up as she turned to see a young man standing by the side of the building, his long hair braided down the center of his head, the sides of which were completely shaved. His twinkling brown eyes were dulled slightly due to the gravity of the situation, but it was him.

"Arian," she breathed, walking over to him slowly, her eyes examining him closely. Surprising both of them, she threw her arms around him in a hug, just so relieved that he was alright. She pulled back almost immediately as Arian stiffened and let out a sharp hiss of pain. Holding her hands out to her sides, her eyebrows raised in alarm, she gave him a piercing look. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ari said quickly, hoping to disarm her with a smile. "I'm not happy that we meet again under these conditions, but I am glad to see you, Sky Girl."

"Me too," Kat answered after a moment, softening and choosing to finish that conversation later. "What are you doing here?"

"I volunteered to help out after…" he trailed off, his eyes drifting to the funeral pyre.

Kat surreptitiously glanced around them to make sure there was no one to overhear. "Lexa said she found out that you helped me escape from your village," She muttered in a low, anxious voice. "She said she punished you – "

"It was nothing." Ari was quick to reassure her. "I was forced to stay behind as they marched towards your camp, that's all." His attention was caught by something behind her, which just caused his smile to widen. "Hi Octavia. Lincoln. Glad to see you two are finally together – now you can stop forcing me to be the messenger that has to deliver your sickeningly sweet love notes."

Lincoln's smile was small but sad. "That was one time," he reminded him, clapping him on the shoulder, his eyes searching.

Ari nodded at whatever unspoken question Lincoln asked. "I'm glad you're alright, my friend," Ari said sincerely, before turning his gaze to Octavia. "And thank you for not giving up on this guy."

"Never," Octavia promised, glancing up at Lincoln with a look that Kat sincerely hoped never crossed her own face. "It's good to see you though, Ari."

"Hey." Kat looked around to see Bellamy come up next to her, his eyes flickering from her to Ari, the expression on his face somehow wary and threatening at the same time. He stopped next to her, his shoulders stiff. Kat was honestly surprised that he didn't put his arm around her possessively. "They're almost ready."

"Okay. But first, I would like you to officially meet my friend Ari. Ari this is – "

"Your Bellamy," Ari interrupted with a knowing grin. Kat flushed a little, but was unable to stop herself from smiling.

Bellamy stepped forward with a serious look on his face and Kat tensed for a moment, worried that he was going to do something stupid. When he moved, however, it was just to hold out his hand. "Thank you for saving Kat's life. And for helping her find her way back to me."

Ari looked down at Bellamy's hand, his own smile fading at the seriousness of his gesture. He hesitated only slightly before taking it, his eyes landing on Kat, twinkling. "If only she would stop landing herself in those situations."

Kat rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Alright, male bonding time is over. Come on – Clarke needs us," she added in a soft voice, killing the mood instantly. Everyone's smiles faded as they followed her back to the center of town, Kat and the others joining Clarke and the rest of their people, and Ari moving to stand beside Lexa at the head of the funeral pyre. The rest of the grounders surrounded them, their faces dark and grave. Lexa began speaking in a loud ringing voice, and Lincoln helped them out by translating in a soft voice. "People of TonDC, in fire, we cleanse the pain of the past."

Lexa was handed a lit torch, which she held for a moment before turning towards the people of Camp Jaha. "Clarke," she called, holding it out for her. Kat's eyes flickered around the waiting Grounders as they shifted uneasily, muttering darkly under their breaths.

Looking shocked and uncertain, Clarke stepped up beside Lexa and took the torch. Kat watched as Clarke stared at the body on the top of the pyre, Finn's body, and the pain on her friend's face was heart wrenching. Kat was worried about her. She couldn't imagine being in Clarke's shoes right now, and she didn't know how to help her. What she did know, however, was that this was going to be with Clarke for the rest of her life.

"Yu gunplei ste odon," Clarke murmured as she carefully lit the funeral pyre. Kat recognized those words as the ones the grounders say before someone dies. _Your fight is over._

Kat heard Raven take in a ragged breath beside her and out of the corner of her eye, she could see the tears steadily dripping down Raven's distraught face as the heat from the flames touched their skin. Frowning, feeling helpless, Kat reached a hand over to her and Raven gripped it tightly, holding on for dear life.

They could do nothing but watch as the flames burned higher and hotter, the brightness reflecting off his eyes, the smell invading their noses. It was only when the fire started to die down that the Grounders began to drift away, back to their normal lives. Raven eventually let go of Kat's hand, wiping the tears from her face and walking away without a word.

Kat made to go after her but Bellamy caught her arm and shook his head. "Don't. She just needs time."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "I know, but we don't have time," Kat told him in a low voice. "She's just so _angry_ and I feel – I feel – "

"Helpless," Bellamy finished, his expressive brown eyes sorrowful. "We'll get through this, Kitten," he told her confidently, sliding his arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer to him. "We _all_ will." Kat closed her eyes, leaning her head on his shoulder and trying to steal some of his strength.

Lexa stepped away from where she was conversing with Clarke. "Come," she ordered as she passed them. "It is time for the alliance banquet." Clarke followed in Lexa's footsteps, exchanging a look with Kat and nodding that it was okay.

They were led down a staircase to what looked like the lower level of an old building. A large table took up most of the room, laden with food and candles. Lexa took her place in the middle of the table on the far side, where most of her people were waiting with grave, wary expressions. Some of them didn't look too pleased at what was about to happen. Indra, on Lexa's right had her arms crossed and a pissed off expression on her face. Ari, however, being true to who he was, winked at her as she took a spot across from him, next to Bellamy and Raven. As Kat looked down the opposite side of the table, she had to admit that the Grounders cut imposing figures. It reminded Kat once more of how different their people seemed.

"Please accept this gift, Commander," Kane spoke, breaking the silence as he unwrapped a bottle of moonshine. "We drink this on special occasions and I believe this qualifies."

Lexa nodded to Gustus who took it from Kane before giving it to her. "Thank you, Marcus of the Sky People," Lexa told him gracefully.

"Your welcome, Lexa kom trikru," Kane responded, smiling slightly as he stumbled a bit over the unfamiliar language. Kat was struck by the obvious effort he was making in order to show that an alliance was possible between their two people. She had to admit that he was good at this. "Just ah – don't drink too much of it."

"Clarke," Lexa spoke, turning towards the blonde as another Grounder stepped forward and procured two cups. "Let us drink together."

Clarke's expression was carefully blank as she nodded. "It would be my pleasure."

Kat shifted uneasily, her eyes narrowed as Gustus poured the moonshine into two glasses. Just like the last time Kat had been present between a meeting with Clarke and Lexa, Lexa never took her intense gaze off her blonde friend. There was this weird tension between the two of them that Kat did not like or understand one bit.

"Heda, allow me," Gustus interrupted as Lexa handed one of the cups to Clarke. Lexa nodded, giving him her cup and watching him take a sip. There was a long moment of silence after he swallowed and Kat absurdly realized they were waiting for him to keel over, poisoned. The idea that Kane would do that is ludicrous – they needed this alliance or they were all dead people walking.

"Tonight we celebrate our newfound peace," Lexa began, raising her cup once more. "Tomorrow we plan a war." The words sent a shiver down Kat's spine and she thought she could hear war drums sounding in her head. "To those we lost… and to those we will soon find."

Clarke and Lexa raised their cups to their lips but before they could take a sip, Gustus suddenly collapsed forward onto the table, coughing and struggling to breathe, his eyes bulging. Kat gaped at him uncomprehendingly as he finally fell to the floor, his people rushing to his side.

Bellamy acted first, lunging forward and knocking the cup out of Clarke's hands. "It was the Sky People!" Indra roared, pulling her sword free and pointing it at Clarke.

That was when Kat finally acted. She joined Bellamy on Clarke's other side, both holding her back and trying to protect her as the grounders tossed the tables aside and advanced on them. Raven, Octavia and the others rallied behind them as well, looking both alarmed and prepared. "It wasn't us!" Clarke yelled over the sudden commotion. "You have to know it wasn't us!"

Both Indra and Lexa were shouting commands in their language and a few of the Grounders left the room, carrying Gustus between them. The rest came up to them, searching them roughly. "Gustus warned me about you, but I didn't listen," Lexa growled, stalking up to Clarke, fury sparking in her eyes.

"We didn't do this, Lexa, please!" Clarke tried once more, blue eyes wide.

"Watch it," Kat snapped, smacking one of the Grounder's hands away from areas that he shouldn't be touching.

"Tell me, Clarke," Lexa murmured in a low, dangerous voice. "When you plunged the knife into the heart of the boy you loved… did you not wish that it was mine?"

Clarke stared at her helplessly, unable to say anything in her defense. "Heda," one of the Grounders who was searching Raven called, holding up a small vial.

"That's not mine," Raven denied immediately as Lexa took the vial. "I'm telling you, it's not mine. He must have put it there when he searched me!" She snarled, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No Sky Person leaves this room!" Lexa bellowed, her words bouncing off the walls before she swept past them upstairs.

"Ari!" Kat called, hurrying forward when she recognized him as one of the last to leave. She put a hand on his back unthinkingly. "Raven didn't do this, you have to do something!"

Ari jaw clenched, looking torn. He looked away for a moment, seemingly unable to look her in the eye. "I'll see what I can do," he muttered before leaving the room.

Kat frowned, looking down at her hand, which came away slick with blood. Lincoln was trying to get through to Indra, which must not have worked because the room echoed with the clang of the metal door as it slammed shut.

There was a long moment of silence. "Is that your blood?" Bellamy demanded, stomping up to her and grabbing her wrist. "What happened? Did they hurt you?"

"It's not mine," she told him, finding Lincoln's eyes and glaring at him accusingly. "This was from part of Ari's punishment wasn't it? What did Lexa do to him?"

Lincoln's expression and voice was unflinching. "By helping you escape, Ari betrayed his people. Each one of the people that he betrayed was given the opportunity to make a cut on his body, focusing mostly on his back and arms. Luckily, not many people knew you had been there in the first place, and Lexa was able to lessen the punishment without anyone really noticing. If anyone find out she was showing favoritism to her brother, she would lose her power as a leader. The punishment for treason is usually death."

Kat lost her breath, feeling like she was going to hurl. "This isn't your fault, Kat," Bellamy told her immediately, catching the look on her face.

Kat's face was white, her grey eyes troubled as she pulled her hand away from him. "Of course it is," Kat whispered in a broken voice. "I asked him to help me escape. If it weren't for Lexa… he would be dead right now. After everything that he's done for me – " she broke off, shaking her head. "This is entirely my fault."

* * *

Tensions in the room were high as the minutes ticked by and things were quickly going from bad to worse. Kat was currently sitting in the corner of the room with her head in her hands, Bellamy was conversing in a low voice with Octavia and Lincoln, and Abby and Kane were very obviously trying to find a way out of this.

Kat looked up as movement caught her eye and she watched with a wary eye as Clarke apprehensively approached Raven. She was too far away to hear what they were saying at first, but she could very clearly see Raven's fist as it connected with the side of Clarke's face, snapping her head to the side. "You're the only murderer here!" Raven yelled in a thick voice full of tears and rage.

Kat stayed where she was, lifting her leg up onto the chair and resting her arm on it as Octavia and Abby rushed forward to get between the two of them. Her eyebrows slowly raised as Clarke turned to a very empty spot of the room, blue eyes filled with tears of distress. "Leave me alone," she murmured in a low voice that progressively got louder. "You gave me no choice! Why did you turn yourself in?"

Looking concerned, Abby put a hand on her daughter's shoulder, snapping her out of it. Clarke looked around at them all in embarrassment before shrugging her mom's hand away and retreating to the corner of the room.

Poor Clarke was having a really tough time of it, and unfortunately it was on display for everyone to see. This time, it was Abby who approached Clarke to try and make her feel better, but it seriously misfired. "You're talking about dad?" Clarke asked loudly in disgust and disbelief, capturing everyone's attention once more. "What I did to Finn was nothing like what you did to him – "

"Don't do this now, Clarke – " Abby whispered frantically.

"I was protecting everyone!" Clarke yelled, not hearing her mother at all. "I didn't have a choice, you did!"

"No – "

"You turned him in!"

"I trusted Thelonious to talk to your father and convince him not to go public!" Her mother cried, past caring about her audience now.

"You knew dad would never stop," Clarke cried, sounding upset, her face screwed up. "You knew what would happen to him - "

"I was protecting everyone too," Abby interrupted, a tear slipping down her face. "I was protecting _you._ Clarke, please!"

Clarke's expression was shattered as she came to a sudden realization. "We are the same," she whispered, hurt in both their eyes.

Kat looked up as Clarke turned her back and walked away from her mother to collapse on the chair next to her with a disgruntled sigh. Kat glanced away when Clarke didn't look over at her, playing with her fingers. She debated with herself for a good minute about what she was going to say next before deciding that she couldn't really make anything worse at this point. "You're seeing Finn aren't you?"

Clarke still wouldn't look at her, but Kat could feel her tense up, her jaw working. She also noticed Bellamy's head sharply turn towards them as well as Octavia and Lincoln who were sitting closest. "How did you know?" Clarke asked, her eyes fixed on some point across the room, nostrils flaring.

"Besides the telltale sign of you talking to an empty spot in the room?" Kat lightly teased, earning a dark look from Clarke. "Too soon," Kat nodded, sobering. "I know that you're seeing Finn because… I used to see my father." There was a long moment of silence in which Kat looked up to see everyone staring at her. "What? Is it really that shocking?" She snorted, feeling uncomfortable. "My father tortured me for years, it would be weird if there were no repercussions."

"How did you get it to stop?" Clarke whispered, finally turned to look at Kat fully, her eyes hopeful.

Kat shrugged, her eyebrows furrowed as she thought it through. "I don't know – one day I just stopped seeing him," she said slowly, her eyes glazed over. "I think… I think I just spent so many years being afraid of him, of hating him that I let him have control over me. Since being down on the ground, since getting the chance to live my own life – I've accepted that what he did to me happened. It was wrong, sure, but it wasn't my fault and I've stopped being ashamed of it. And now… now I'm happy. This whole war situation sucks ass, but for the first time I have friends that I can count on," she paused, putting a hand on Clarke's arm with a small smile. "And people who I would do anything for. We're here for you, Clarke."

"Always," Bellamy added, coming over to sit on the arm of Kat's chair, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Kat's right," Octavia joined in, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. "Even though that little speech was kind of cheesy and totally not Kat's style – " Kat threw a mock glare at her. "She's right. We'll help you get through this. You and Raven."

"I don't mean to interrupt," Kane muttered softly, looking around at them. "But we need to talk about what's happening. Lexa needs this alliance just as much as we do. I think that you should try and talk to her – she listens to you."

Clarke was shaking her head before he had even finished speaking. "She thinks we tried to kill her. She's not just going to forgive that."

"I just can't imagine Raven doing that," Kat interjected with a frown. "She knows what's at stake, she wants to get our people out of Mount Weather just as much as we do."

"Well then let's figure out who did." Kane acknowledged her with an inclination of his head. "Who would want her dead?"

"Too many to count," Lincoln piped up, standing and walking closer to them, his arms crossed. "Forming an alliance with you is a huge risk, especially after what Finn did to this village."

"So it had to be someone trying to break the alliance," Octavia concluded, just as the sounded of footsteps coming down the stairs echoed through the room, making them all spring to their feet.

Indra, Nyko and several other guards entered the room, their expressions grave. "How's Gustus?" Lincoln asked, sounding concerned.

"Gustus will live," Nyko answered.

Indra, looking impatient, gave an order to her guards who stepped forward and approached Raven. "She didn't poison anyone!" Bellamy snapped, stepping in the guards way.

"I argued for all of you to die," Indra sneered, her hand drifting to her sword. "But the Commander is merciful. She wants only one."

"She's innocent – " Lincoln tried.

"I don't _care_," Indra retorted. "They move, they bleed." Kat started forward as they grabbed Raven's arms, but had to come to an abrupt halt when a sharp knife was pointed to her throat. "The rest of you are free. When she's dead, so is the alliance. You should run."

They did the opposite. Once the Grounders had left the room, their people rushed up the stairs and out of the building, slowing to a stop when they saw Raven tied to a tree, her arms restrained above her head.

"I take no joy in this, Raven," Lexa told her in an emotionless voice as she walked up to her with a long knife, the rest of the Grounders surrounding them once more.

"I didn't do it," Raven spat despite her fear. "How is that justice?"

Instead of answering, Lexa raised her knife and cut along Raven's exposed arm. The other girl stared at her defiantly, the pain in her eyes obvious as she struggled not to make a sound and give them the satisfaction. "We have to do something," Bellamy growled, starting forward.

Kane stopped him with a hand on his chest. "We can't."

"Lincoln do something!" Octavia cried, as Indra stepped up and lifted Raven's shirt to slowly cut across her stomach. Raven's scream of pain was uncontained this time, reverberating sharply in their ears. "These are your people!"

"Not anymore," Lincoln muttered in a blank voice.

Kat's eyes searched the surrounding Grounders as they stepped forward one by one to cut Raven, her agonized screams growing louder, until she found Ari standing at the back. His expression was conflicted, but as if he could feel her gaze, their eyes met for a long moment. When he looked away regretfully, Kat knew that his hands were tied and he couldn't directly oppose his sister again.

"Clarke!" Kat called, tearing her eyes away and looking for the blonde. Realizing she wasn't with them, Kat whirled around and ran back down the stairs to find Clarke staring at the floor, her expression confused. "Clarke!" Kat grabbed the girl's shoulders, shaking her roughly to snap her out of it. "We need to do something before they kill Raven!"

"I can't save anyone," Clarke murmured brokenly, blue eyes wide.

"Yes you can, snap out of it! You need to talk to Lexa or – or we need to find some weapons and fight our way to Raven, we can't just leave her here – "

Kat broke off abruptly as Clarke's attention was caught on something to her right, her face switching to determination. Kat looked, didn't see anything and realized she must be looking at Finn so she let go of Clarke and stepped back, watching her closely. "Say something," Clarke demanded, eyes flashing.

Kat didn't know if Finn answered, but something must have happened because Clarke blinked in realization, her voice soft as she whispered, "It wasn't in the bottle." Her gaze snapped to Kat's. "It wasn't in the bottle!"

"Okay…?" Kat frowned, confused, as Clarke spun on her heel and took off, Kat hot on her heels, hoping beyond hope that she had come up with a solution that would get them out of this.

"I need that bottle," Clarke ordered Nyko when they burst outside. "Now." Clarke continued to storm forward, ignoring Kane and Bellamy's warnings. "Stop!" She shouted once the guards had halted her progress.

"Let her through," Lexa demanded, chin lifting as Clarke approached her, Kat and the others trailing behind and preparing themselves for anything.

"One of your people tried to kill you Lexa, not one of mine," Clarke told her, her voice strong.

Indra was shaking her head, her hand on the pommel of her sword. "You should have run – "

"I can prove it," Clarke interrupted, snatching the bottle out of an approaching Nyko's hands. She uncorked it and took a healthy swig, raising her eyebrows when nothing happened.

"Explain," Lexa drawled, an edge to her voice.

"The poison was in the cup, not the bottle."

Gustus muttered something in Lexa's ear in their own language. "It was you!" Bellamy blurted suddenly, eyes narrowed with realization. "You tested the cup and you searched Raven!"

Lexa did not believe him. "Gustus would never harm me – "

"You weren't the target," Bellamy told her, his gaze still on Gustus. "The alliance was."

"We didn't do this and you know it," Clarke stated.

Lexa turned to Gustus and said something in their own language. Gustus gave the Sky People one last, long look before speaking. "This alliance would have cost you your life, heda. I could not let that happen."

More muttering broke out amongst the Grounders, and though she tried to hide it, Kat could see the flicker of betrayal and hurt on Lexa's face. She composed herself quickly however, putting back that blank mask. "This treachery will cost you yours." She called out another order and Gustus was grabbed roughly. Abby, Kane and Bellamy ran forward to cut Raven down from the tree and Gustus took her place.

Abby tended to Raven's wounds while the Grounders began to cut into Gustus, who took his punishment silently. Ari approached them after a moment, looking guilty and sheepish. He held a blanket out to Kat as a peace offering. "I'm sorry," he muttered, waiting until she took it before turning and waiting to take his turn amongst his people.

Kat went over to Raven and wrapped the blanket around her still shaking shoulders, which she accepted though her eyes were locked on what was happening in the center of the village. "This would have been Finn," she whispered in horror, her face pale with the realization, her eyes flickering over to a solemn Clarke for a moment before turning back.

They all stood there, unable to do anything but watch as Gustus' blood dripped from the hundreds of cuts on his body until Lexa, looking slightly destroyed but trying to appear strong, ended it by putting a sword through his heart.

"We're not so different," Abby mused, just loud enough for all of them to hear. "Are we?"

* * *

The mood was somber as they stopped for the night on the way back to Camp Jaha. It was dark, and they were sitting by the campfire, the tents around them already set up. Octavia and Lincoln were sitting on a log on one side, Bellamy on the other, with Kat resting with her back against his legs, watching the flames dance.

"How did you know it was Gustus?" Lincoln asked, breaking the silence.

"Because he would do anything for her," Bellamy answered, causing Kat's lips to twitch as she felt his hand ghost against the back of her neck. "To protect her. It just makes sense."

"And look at the thanks he got," Octavia responded sarcastically, digging in the dirt with a stick.

"Guys!" Raven called excitedly, bursting out of her tent and hurrying over to them as fast as her leg would allow. "Guys, you have to listen to this!"

"What is it?" Bellamy asked as they quickly clambered to their feet, Clarke joining them in curiosity as Raven came over.

Raven held up the radio for them all to hear. "_This is Jasper Jordan. 47 of us are trapped inside Mount Weather. They've taken Harper and she already be dead. We don't know how much time we have left… please hurry."_

"Oh my god," Kat breathed, her eyes widening. "They've found a way to contact us?"

"Talk to him," Clarke told Raven. "Say something!"

"It's repeating," Raven replied after a moment of listening carefully.

A troubled frown crossed Kat's face. "If they've already taken Harper…"

"We need to do this now," Bellamy urged them, his eyes falling on Clarke. "We've got the alliance, now is the time to use it."

Clarke nodded slowly, her eyes on the ground as she quickly thought things through. She looked up and met Bellamy's gaze, her face resolute. "First we need an inside man." Kat's frown deepened, an uneasy feeling spreading through her. "You were right. Without someone on the inside to lower their defenses, to turn off the acid fog... an army is useless. You should go."

"Wait," Kat interrupted, holding up her hands and shaking her head. "What?"

They ignored her. "I thought you hated that plan?" Bellamy questioned, raising his eyebrows pointedly. "That I would get myself killed."

"_I_ hate that plan," Kat interjected once more, starting to grow angry now. "And you _are_ going to get yourself killed."

"I was being weak," Clarke answered, her eyes flickering to Kat for only the briefest of moments. "It's worth the risk." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "My map of Mount Weather. Find a way to get on the radio and talk to us."

"I can get you through the tunnels," Lincoln added, jumping on board with this ridiculous plan.

"No! Everybody just shut the fuck up!" Kat snapped furiously, raising her voice so that everyone was looking at her in surprise. Kat's chest was heaving, her eyes were narrowed and she could feel the panic clawing at her throat. "No, this is not the plan, it's too dangerous! You can't send Bellamy into the Mountain alone, Blondie, it is _not_ worth the risk. There has to be another way – "

"There isn't," Clarke interrupted her face made of stone, her voice as cold as ice. "If we try and attack the Mountain Men directly they can kill us with the acid fog. We have to be able to break through their defenses in order to get our people back – "

"But Clarke – "

"Love is weakness, Kat," Clarke chided, talking to her as if she was a child that was being taught a life lesson. "The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able move on with your life if this go south."

Outraged, so furious that she couldn't speak, Kat stepped forward, her right arm raised, but it was caught by Bellamy. Kat snapped her head around to glare at him and faltered at the resigned look on his face. "There's no other way, Kat. I have to do this if we want to save our friends – "

Kat ripped her arm out of his grip, causing his eyes to widen. "Fine," She snarled through gritted teeth. "Good luck. Hope you don't die."

Refusing to look anyone in the eye, Kat stormed away into the trees, not really caring where she was going, only able to focus on the pain and fear in her heart and the rapid way her chest was heaving because she couldn't seem to breathe. She pushed branches away from her face, a roaring in her ears so loud that it wasn't until Bellamy grabbed her arm and spun her around that she even realized that he had been calling her name.

"Oh, are you still here?" Kat asked in a light, sarcastic voice. "Why haven't you left on your suicide mission yet?"

Bellamy gave a growl of frustration as she pulled her arm away once more and walked away again. "That's not fair, Kat – "

"No, you know what's not fair?" Kat snapped, whirling back around again, hair flying as her grey eyes flashed. "You made this decision _without me_, Bellamy. I've never had a fucking boyfriend, but I'm pretty sure we're supposed to talk about these things!"

"I honestly thought you would be on my side!" Bellamy argued back, his eyes wide. "We agreed that we would do whatever it took to rescue our friends - don't you believe that I can do this?"

Kat's throat burned at the uncertainty in his voice as the fight abruptly left her, leaving exhaustion and dread in it's wake. "It's not about you being able to do this, Bellamy, of course I think you can – "

"Then what the hell is it about, Kat – "

"I only just got you back!" Kat snapped in irritation, her jaw working as she crossed her arms. "I only just got you back and now I'm losing you all over again!" Her voice became small and unsure. "Why… why don't you seem to care about that?"

Bellamy's face softened, the tension leaving him as he pulled her close, his hand on the back of her neck as her arms threaded around his waist. She closed her eyes tightly as he sighed in her ear. "Oh Kitten, of course I don't want to leave you. But this is bigger than both of us," he reminded her gently. "And somewhere deep down inside, you know that this is the right thing to do."

Kat's hands grasped the back of his jacket, her forehead pressed against his chest. "I know," she whispered, taking a deep breath before looking up at him, or what little she could see of him from the moonlight. "But this is going to be really dangerous, Bell, you're going to be sneaking into enemy territory. You have to promise me to be really careful, because if you die – " She broke off, unable to finish her sentence.

"I promise," Bellamy swore, his hands coming up to cup her face, both of his eyes looking between hers. "I promise." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before sighing again. "Come on. We should be heading back."

This time it was Kat who caught his wrist, her expression sly when he turned to look at her curiously. "When are you and Lincoln leaving?"

"Probably within the hour," he told her, still looking confused.

"That's plenty of time."

"For what?"

"For me to say a proper goodbye," Kat murmured, smirking slightly as she slowly took her jacket off.

Bellamy's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he followed her movements. "Really? You want to do this here?"

Kat shrugged, her hands moving up to the buttons of her shirt. "Why not? If we go back to our tent, everyone will hear us and I don't feel like being quiet tonight. Besides… doesn't this remind you of our first time? The woods… the trees..."

Kat knew she had him when he smirked, his eyes noticeably darkening. "A girl after my own heart," he murmured, reaching forward to snag her waist and yank her against his chest. He leaned his head down as if he was going to kiss her lips, but swerved at the last second, planting a soft kiss under her ear. "Shall I take you against the tree again?" He whispered seductively, causing a shiver to roll down her spine.

"While we do have to revisit that someday," Kat conceded in a soft voice, pulling back to look up at his face, her expression turning serious as she ran her thumb across his bottom lip. "I don't want to go hard and fast this time. I want to savor this last hour with you, Bellamy," she admitted in an innocent voice. "I want this to last as long as possible."

Bellamy's hand came up to thread in the hair at the back of her head as he shook his head slightly as if dazed, awe in his voice. "God, I love you," he breathed, before lowering his head and capturing his lips with hers. From that moment on, Bellamy surrounded her. His hands holding her face, his taste in her mouth, his body pressed against hers. And just like every other time they had been together, it was too much and not enough at the same time.

His lips never left hers and her hands worked to pull his jacket off his body, but he had to pull away for a moment when she insistently pulled at his shirt. He quickly ripped her shirt off in the process before pulling them back together, his lips finding hers once more. Her hands explored every contour of his chest, fingers moving over every dip and groove, determined to memorize every inch of him. He hummed in contentment, the sound sending a rush of warmth through her, as he deepened the kiss, his tongue meeting hers seductively.

His warm, rough hands traveled up her back and a second later her bra was thrown somewhere over his shoulder. His hands palmed her breasts, wrenching a surprised moan out of Kat's throat and in the next moment his hands slipped down to her thighs, hoisting her up before he crouched to the ground, breaking away for a moment to lay out his jacket before placing her on it. He leaned over her, kissing her once more, biting her bottom lip before nipping and sucking his way down her neck and lower, pausing at her breasts before making his way lower to her stomach.

Chest heaving, aching and already coiled tightly, she nearly combusted as Bellamy looked up at her from beneath his lashes, brown eyes smoldering. He gave her her favorite half smirk before sitting back, unlacing her boots, slipping off her socks and hooking his thumbs inside her pants. Eyes still locked on hers, he slowly, torturously pulled them down her legs, his fingers lingering along her flesh with a touch so light it made her want to scream.

He pulled her underwear off at the same time and when he was finished, he picked up her right leg, pressing a small kiss to her ankle, watching as her breath caught. He slowly, steadily kissed and licked a path up her leg, taking what felt like forever until he reached the apex of her thigh. Her fingers were clenched in anticipation, her eyes wide as she waited for him to kiss her in the place she needed him the most. He hovered there like he was about to before decidedly changing his mind and picking up her left leg instead. Kat's eyes widened as her head flopped backwards, her breath leaving her in a frustrated huff, as he made that same, torturous path up her other leg, chuckling.

When he reached that same place, she sat up on shaky elbows and threatened in a strained voice. "I swear to God, Bellamy Blake, if you don't – "

And then his talented mouth was on her and she had to break off with a cry, squeezing her eyes shut as her hips thrust upwards. One of his hands came up across her stomach to hold her down while the other slipped two fingers inside of her, curling forward in time with his licks and kisses. Unbeknownst to her, Kat's hands threaded tightly into his hair as she gasped up at the sky, holding him in place as she spiraled higher and higher, already reaching the point of no return. "Bellamy," she whimpered throatily, her eyes wide, her mouth dropping open in a silent scream as the band inside her broke, her back bowing off the ground as spasms of pleasure wracked her body.

What seemed like a good amount of time later, Kat blinked, feeling like she was floating back to the ground, her body still twitching slightly as she looked down. Bellamy was grinning at her fondly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before kissing his way back up her body. "Mmmm," Kat hummed in satisfaction, grabbing the sides of his face and bringing it up so she could kiss him properly, not even caring that she could taste herself on his lips. She could feel the need behind his kisses, could hear it in his groan as she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. He unconsciously flexed his hips forward to meeting hers, seeking some sort of relief and making Kat gasp at how sensitive she still was. She could feel his hardness through his pants and her body clenched pleasurably at the thought of him inside her.

"I'm not finished with you yet," Kat whispered to him, hooking her legs around his waist and using his distraction to flip them over. Grinning at the surprise on his face, Kat kissed him soundlessly, threading their hands together before pinning them above his head. She worked quickly to take off his shoes in pants, her eyes flickering up to his as he was fully exposed before her. His brown eyes were on her in anticipation, watching to see what she would do next. She wrapped her smaller hands around him, enjoying the feel of him and the way that his breath escaped between his teeth, his eyes darkening even more as she experimentally pumped him up and down.

Knowing that he was more than ready, Kat positioned herself over him, her own smirk on her lips as took barely took him in. Now Bellamy was panting, his hands twitching and clenching as if he wanted to grab her and have his way with her. He waited for a long, torturous moment before opening his mouth to say something and that's when Kat made her move, taking him completely in one swift movement and making them both cry out in pleasure.

She held herself very still as Bellamy's eyes opened once more, though her voice trembled with the restraint. "What do you need?" She asked in a whisper, her gray eyes twinkling deviously.

Bellamy shook his head, his mouth opening and closing, unable to vocalize, barely able to breathe. Everything was magnified, raw and exposed and he could feel every delicious inch of her surrounding him. Kat leaned forward slightly, her hands on either side of his head holding her up as she pressed soft kisses under his ear. "Tell me," she breathed, biting his earlobe playfully and sending a sharp jolt straight through him. "What do you need?"

Bellamy sucked in a ragged breath. "Move." His voice came out strained. "I need – move, baby. Please move."

This time it was Kat who caught her breath, secretly loving the nickname and the crazed, desperate way that she made him feel. Pressing her lips to his, she greedily devoured him as her hips finally began to move. Their movements were slow and fluid, the electric charge between them not as frantic as it usually was, but deeper somehow, more meaningful. They kept their bodies connected as much as possible, only pulling away when they needed to breathe, Kat's hands threading in his hair while Bellamy's traced slow patterns over her skin, working her up until she was on the edge once more.

Panting heavily, Kat pulled back to look at him and realized that his jaw was clenched, his eyes focused on hers in an effort to hold back. One of his hands came up to push the sweat soaked hair away from her face so he could see her eyes, the other slipping between them and getting to work once more. Kat struggled to keep her eyes from rolling back into her head at the added sensation, and she could do nothing but give a sharp cry as she released again, collapsing forward on his chest when her arms could no longer hold her up.

Her body rose and fell with each of Bellamy's pants and she willed some strength into her limbs as she shakily lifted her head to look at him with heavy eyes. She could hardly believe it, but she could still feel him hard inside her. It was no insult to him, but usually he didn't last this long. "You didn't…" He shook his head, a small smile on his face as he pressed a kiss to her lips. She nodded, sitting up once more, her hands against his chest. "Okay, your turn."

Bellamy suddenly sat up, their bodies pressed together, her legs on either side of his hips. "Only if you come with me," he murmured, kissing her neck.

She tilted her head to give him better access, her eyes fluttering closed as she gave a breathy laugh. "I just did… twice. I don't think I can go again – "

He pulled away to look at her, his brown eyes flashing eagerly. "Challenge accepted." At her wide-eyed look, he continued. "Tonight is all about you, Kitten. I'm leaving you something to remember me by until I get back."

The fact that he was leaving slammed into her again and she nodded, sobering. She carefully brushed a few stray curls away from his forehead, took his face within her hands and pressed her lips to his. One of his hands trailed down her back to press her body to his, the other holding the back of her neck so he could deepen their kiss. His mouth and tongue moved perfectly in sync with hers as they began to move once more.

Sensation ripped through her again, her breath coming out in pants. Bellamy's fingers grasped at her desperately, breaking away to press kisses along her shoulder, the fire and need overwhelming. She lost herself in him again, that fire building within her once more as their movements became frantic as they began to lose control. Almost unable to take the sensations, Kat clawed at Bellamy's back, whimpering, causing him to shudder and cry out in both pleasure in pain. He kissed her one more time as they both approached the cliff before resting his forehead against hers, watching her lose control.

Something inside Kat snapped, her jaw dropping as her body froze and Bellamy groaned loudly as she brought him spiraling over the edge with her, both their bodies gripping each other tightly as they shuddered and gasped. Bellamy swayed for a moment before collapsing back on his jacket, taking Kat with him, their bodies still connected. Kat wanted nothing more than to blissfully close her eyes for a few moments, her body heavy and sated, but she forced herself to sit up once more.

Bellamy's eyes lazily blinked open, the smile that she loved on his face. "Come back to me," she whispered, her eyes searching his as she echoed his words from the other day.

He fondly tucked a stray hair behind her ear, his eyes warm in the moonlight. "Always," he promised.

* * *

**Author's Note: Gahhh my poor heart – my poor babies! I hate tearing them apart when they just got back together but the story must go on!**

**What did you guys think? I hope I didn't make Kat sound like too much of a selfish bitch, and that you were able to see the insecurity and fear underneath it all. Also I want to apologize for those of you that don't like M rated scenes but (unfortunately) that's the last one for this season!**

**Good news though, I have a week off coming up, so I should be able to update again soon! Leave me some love, guys, I could really use it : )**

Guest 1 - Thanks for your review! That's such an amazing compliment, I love being able to draw out emotions in my readers! I hope you liked this chapter!

Anonymous - Thanks for sharing your opinion and I apologize in advance if I sound defensive while I answer your review! I'm sorry that you felt that Bellamy and Kat barely flinched when Finn was killed. The scene was written from Kat's POV and she mentioned before that she was conflicted about his death - that she wanted him punished on one hand felt terrible for him on the other. During the actual death scene, I felt like she would have been more concerned for her friends instead of dealing with how she felt about Finn's death. On to your next point! Kat and Bellamy fought and bickered way before they even started liking each other and that's not going to change just because they fell in love. They're both hot heads, stubborn and opinionated and it's not all rainbows and butterflies. They fight and in the heat of the moment they do say things that they can regret. But I'm trying to show how much each of them has matured, that even though they may argue, they will always make up because they're both trying to make the relationship work. I do agree with you on the pregnancy - it wasn't the time for it though I could have, of course, made it work. Hope all this made sense - and that if you do continue to read, that you don't hate what I continue to write!

Guest 2 - Thank you! I love when people tell me they were looking for Kat in the actual show, that's such an awesome thing to hear! As far as season 3 goes, I promise that there will be no love triangle! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Guest 3 - I'm so glad that you understood all the characters emotions last chapter! I could picture that little family so clearly too, and I was actually disappointed that it wasn't going to happen! Thanks for reviewing :)

TheHandWeWereDealt - Thanks for your review! I can tell you now that Bellamy won't end up with some random chick!


	12. Bridging the Gap

**Author's Note: Helloooo everybody! First I want to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed my story, I really appreciate it! Second, I would like to apologize for two things: how long it took me to update and how short this chapter is. This chapter annoyed me to no end. I sat there for hours, staring at the screen and willing ideas to come to mind, but I had major writer's block. I hope those of you who are writers can understand how I have to push through a chapter or two before things can run smoothly again! So I'm sorry for the short chapter, but I hope you guys like it anyway! I feel much better now that it's done :)**

**See bottom AN for a note regarding season 3.**

**Special thanks for Dannylionthe1st and Maddie Rose for helping me out!**

* * *

Chapter 12: Bridging the Gap

"Hey," Octavia muttered, squeezing her way over to where she was leaning against the wall, watching with her arms crossed. She could feel Octavia's eyes searching her face, but Kat didn't look over at her. She didn't want to see the worry or concern on her friend's face, not when she was doing everything she could to keep her emotions buried deep inside her. "You look like you haven't slept at all."

"I haven't," Kat told her shortly, feeling a headache beginning to build behind her eyes. Her bed had felt dangerously empty last night. She never would have thought it possible, but she had gotten so used to falling asleep with Bellamy's arm wrapped around her that it was impossible now that he was gone.

Octavia seemed undeterred by Kat's foul mood. "I've just been to see Raven – "

"I know," Kat interjected. "There's still no news from Bellamy." She paused, her jaw working, before continuing on. "She kicked me out. Said that if I didn't quit bugging her she was going to stab me with something sharp."

Octavia's lips twitched, looking unsurprised. "She'll come find us if there's any news, Kat, she won't keep this from us." They fell silent for a moment, watching their people from Camp Jaha and over a dozen grounders warriors, including Indra, file into the suddenly too small room. "So… last night was intense."

"Was it?" Kat asked distractedly, unsure what she was referring to. Her eyes lingered on the last grounder to enter the room and raised an eyebrow when she recognized Arian. Though his carefree grin was gone from his face, his expression was still less tense than his warrior friends. He winked surreptitiously when his eyes caught hers.

She could practically feel Octavia rolling her eyes from beside her, drawing her attention once more. "Kat, if looks could kill, then Clarke would have been incinerated on the spot. And then you basically threatened Lincoln, saying that if he didn't keep Bellamy safe than you were going to kill him. I think I would have been annoyed by that if part of me didn't agree with you."

"Clarke is lucky that she's in Tondc," Kat muttered under her breath. "Not because she is the reason that Bellamy is currently sneaking into Mount Weather, but because of the way that she did it. 'Love is a weakness?' 'The sooner I accept that the sooner I can move on if things go south?' Give me a fucking break. That girl needs to open her eyes and stop being so fucking dramatic."

Octavia opened her mouth to respond but at that point Kane stepped into the middle of the room with Indra by his side and began to speak. "I know we don't have a lot in common. But we do have a common enemy. And a common goal. For us to reach it, to get our people out of Mount Weather… we need to work together. Skaikru… en Trikru." Kat's eyes drifted away from Kane to the dozens of people surrounding them. There were varying degrees of distrust, curiosity, uncertainty and even fear on everyone's faces and she felt the tension between the two different races of people, so thick that it almost made it difficult to breathe.

Her attention was diverted as a grounder knocked Murphy's cup out of his hands, causing Murphy to push him back with a snarl on his face. Kane, as leader of this reception, was forced to reprimand Murphy in front of everyone with two days of work detail, but it didn't seem to help. Just as Murphy snorted and made to walk away, the grounder muttered something out of his breath and Murphy threw the first punch.

The tension finally broke and everything dissolved into chaos. Grounders leapt at her people, her people leapt at the grounders and there were the few people like Kane who was shouting at them to stop and pulling them apart. Octavia and Arian dived into the fray to help, but Kat stayed where she was. She wanted nothing more than to have peace between their people in the grounders so they could save their people in Mount Weather and stop fighting amongst themselves, but she didn't see how it was supposed to happen like this.

* * *

"Hey kid – uh, Kat." Kat glanced up at Kane as he approached, feeling annoyance settle over her as he almost used his nickname for her. It reminded her entirely too much of the little girl that she used to be. "The way these grounders fight… it's rather impressive, isn't it?"

Kat made a vague noise of agreement. "Though it does seem almost barbaric in the unrestrained way they swing at each other. My father taught me to fight in a more calculated style. But you should know that, shouldn't you?"

Kane leveled her with a pointed look, crossing his arms. "I can assure you, Katerina, that if I had _any_ idea of what your father was doing to you, I would have put a stop to it immediately. Your father and I worked very closely together up on the Ark, but we weren't friends in any sense of the term."

Kat shoved her hands in her pockets so he wouldn't see her balling her fists. "You know, I can believe that from the previous version of you." She glanced over to see his confused frown and rolled her eyes. "The older 'I will float you for the simplest of crimes' version of you is completely different from _this_ you, the one who's learning a foreign language and hosting an enemy who has been known to kill our own people."

Kane adopted both an authoritative expression and tone. "We need the grounders on our side if we want to rescue our people – "

Kat fought the urge to roll her eyes again. "You don't have to explain this to me, Kane, I'm well aware of how much we need them. I was trying to make peace with them before you even stepped foot on the ground. In this instance, anyway, and as much as it annoys me to say, I am on your side."

Kane acknowledged that with a nod of his head. "I am glad to hear it. That's your grounder friend over there, isn't it?" Kat followed his gaze to where Arian was standing next to Indra, watching his warriors fight with his hands behind his back. "We need to know more about them. Not just the way they fight, but the way they treat their people, the way the lead, the way they think. We need to be prepared for everything and we can't do that if we aren't well informed."

"I don't think I like what you're suggesting," Kat replied coolly, unable to believe his audacity. "Oh damn it, what is she doing?" Kat muttered under her breath as she her eyes fell on to where Octavia was striding over to Indra, her sword in hand.

"I'm next," she heard Octavia say, facing the fighters, her face determined. "We're supposed to train together, right?"

Indra didn't even deign to look at her. "Only warriors train here."

"I saved your life – "

"And now I'm saving yours," Indra said shortly, before moving forward to instruct her fighters.

Kat saw Octavia clench her jaw in irritation before she turned to stomp away. Kat left Kane standing there, hurrying to meet her and grabbing her arm. "What do you think you're doing?" Kat hissed under her breath, forcing her to stop. "The only experience you have with fighting is what I taught you! We barely had a handful of training sessions, O, you haven't learned nearly enough to stand up to these guys! Hell, I probably wouldn't be able to beat most of these guys, they've been training to fight for twice as long as I have."

Octavia jerked her arm out of Kat's grip. "I want to learn how to fight! The whole point of this stupid thing was to show that we can all work together! I need to do something – "

"It's like you have to prove something to them, Octavia, and you don't – "

Octavia's eyes flashed dangerously. "I have everything to prove! I have to find my place somewhere, Kat, and I don't expect you to understand!"

Kat watched her stomp away, mouth hanging open in bewilderment. _What the hell was that all about?_ She wracked her brains, trying to think of other explanations and blinked as the realization slammed home. Octavia's new braided hairstyle, her relationship with Lincoln, the fact that she was thrown in the Skybox simply for being born. Did Octavia identify more with the grounders than she did her own people? Not that Kat could blame her if that was the case. Octavia hadn't exactly led an easy life, and the grounders wouldn't care that she was born the second child.

"Sky Girl," Arian greeted coming to stand beside her. "What are you thinking so hard about?"

"Grounder Boy," Kat nodded back at him, biting a grin back at the disgruntled face he made. She ignored his question. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine," he told her, making Kat's eyebrows raise in disbelief. He huffed an exasperated sigh. "I do," he insisted, frowning at her. "My back is healing nicely. And do not think I don't see the guilt in your eyes. This was not your fault, I chose to help you escape. I do not want to hear anymore about it," he added quickly, seeing her about to argue.

"Fine," Kat conceded reluctantly, knowing that she would not win this one. They fell into a companionable silence, watching the people around them. Kane had moved on from the grounders fighting to where his own men were shooting, trying to hit one of three wooden posts about a hundred yards from them. He took one of the guns, hitting all three targets precisely before turning to the grounders watching him. As he tried to get the grounders to give it a try, Indra came storming out of nowhere and ordered her men back to their group. "How are we supposed to prove that we can work together when Indra keeps ruining all our chances?" Kat asked in frustration. "First she shoots down Octavia when she tries to join the fighting, and just now when those men wanted to learn how to shoot. This whole thing is pointless with all this animosity between our groups."

"I'm not defending Indra for the way she is, but our people believe that if we pick up a gun, the Mountain Men would come to kill us," Arian told her softly, explaining Indra's actions. "But I do agree with you," Arian mused, brows furrowed as he thought. "Both of us have given ample reasons about why we shouldn't trust each other. We need something that will show the symbolic bridging of the gap between us, something that cannot be denied…"

Kat frowned at the expression on his face as he looked down at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ari took a deep breath. "I have a plan. But I am not so sure you're going to like it."

* * *

Things didn't really come to a head until later that night. The sun had fully set and the rain was pouring down on their heads, drenching them and turning the ground to mud. Yet still, the grounders were fighting, this time with swords as Indra paced around them, shouting instructions.

Kat met Ari's gaze across the clearing and he nodded, stepping forward to put his plan into place. Before he could, however, Octavia strode up to Indra, her face determined. All fighting ceased. "Got time for one more?" Octavia asked in a hard voice.

"Step aside, Sky Girl," Indra snapped, her eyes flashing.

"Make me," Octavia taunted. Kat was all too aware of the people from the Ark forming a ring around them in curiosity and the dozen grounders standing behind Indra. The tension in the clearing amped up a few degrees, matching the scene from earlier.

As Kat watched, Indra's jaw worked as she contemplated Octavia standing before her. "Who would like to give this girl what she wants?" Indra barked over her shoulder without taking her eyes off Octavia.

A rather large man stepped forward, baring his teeth at her as he twirled his blade in a circle. Ari made to move forward again but Kat shook her head reluctantly. She knew that if she stopped this fight before it even started, Octavia would never forgive her. So she was forced to watch, her teeth clenched and her muscles tensed as her inexperienced friend went up against a man who was twice the size of her and three times as experienced.

Octavia held her own for a few short seconds, surprising the grounder with the ferocity of her attack. The problem was, the grounder didn't just use his sword to attack her. His free hand landed a swift punch to her side and he grabbed her arm to fling her to the ground as if she weighed nothing. Kat flinched when Octavia got up again, only to be punched in the back and face before she was kicked to the chest and sent sprawling to the ground again.

It was at that point that Kane stepped forward and ordered Indra to stop the fight, but Indra ignored him, a dark look on her face as she commanded something to her man in their own language. Swords were forgotten at this point as Octavia staggered to her feet again, and she actually managed to land a few punches before taking a wicked uppercut and was lifted off her feet.

A strong feeling of pride ran through Kat as Octavia, battered, beaten and bruised, slowly rose to her feet once more, refusing to give up. The look on Indra's face was priceless. Octavia was exhausted and threw a too slow punch at the grounders face. He easily caught her wrist and twisted, causing her to cry out in pain before she snarled and spat a glob of saliva and blood in his face. Growling, the grounder wiped his face with his free hand before slamming a punch to Octavia's chest and sending her to all fours. Triumphant, he brought his leg back and kicked her stomach, causing her to cry out, the momentum sending her rolling.

Kat knew Octavia wasn't going to get up this time, especially when the grounder stood over her, giving a victorious shout, baring his teeth at the surrounding crowd. "Anyone else?" He taunted, eyes glittering.

Kat was surprised the grounder didn't beat his chest to show off his masculinity. She met Arian's gaze across the clearing and he nodded. Things weren't going exactly according to plan, but they could still pull this off. The whole point was to prove that the two groups could get along, that they could fight and learn from each other and that one wasn't weaker than the other.

Kat pushed her wet hair out of her face before reaching over her shoulder and pulling her own sword free. "I'm next," she called, stepping forward.

An alarmed look crossed Kane's face. "Katerina – "

Kat's gray eyes flashed angrily as she glared at him, making sure she had his attention before pointedly glancing down at Octavia, who hadn't moved from the ground. "Put this girl in her place, Fio," Indra ordered, her brown eyes dark with dislike as Kat stepped in front of the large man. Kat felt slightly better when Kane helped Octavia up and moved to the side.

Fio bared his teeth at her, picking up his sword and Kat found herself seriously wishing that she had spent more time practicing with a sword. Thinking quickly, Kat realized that this man had more experience and was more equipped with a sword. He was stronger than her, but she was most likely faster. Remembering that he used more than just his sword to fight, Kat felt her heart begin to pick up in anticipation, her muscles tensing as she shifted to the balls of her feet. Her focus zeroed in on this fight until it felt like time was moving in slow motion.

Fio moved first, slashing down towards her head and Kat lifted her sword to block it. Her entire arm reverberated with the strength of his blow and Kat knew she couldn't stay in one place or give him an opportunity to fully wind up. Kat pushed his sword to the side and pivoted, looking for an opening but he was there to block her. She could tell the exact moment that Fio began to realize she was slightly more talented than Octavia. He tried to pull the same move, where he grabbed her sword wrist and made to punch her face with his other hand, but Kat was ready for him, blocking with her forearm and bringing her knee up to catch him in the stomach.

She gave him no time to recover, pressing forward as he staggered back slightly, a snarl on his face. The intensity increased tenfold and they matched each other blow for blow. Kat cut his bicep with her sword and Fio hit the handle of his sword above her eye, the blood making it difficult to see. Kat kicked out his knee, causing him to limp slightly and his elbow caught her in the chest, making breathing slightly difficult.

Her body hurt, her muscles were weary, and she wasn't exactly sure how it happened, but she froze when she felt the tips of his blade pressed under her chin. "Dead," Fio panted in her face, grinning down at her in triumph.

She ignored the blood trickling into her eye as she raised an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side slightly as she pushed her own sword forward. His eyes widened slightly, before looking down to see her sword point pressed against his heart. "Dead," she murmured back, the corner of her lip lifting into a very Bellamy-like smirk.

"I declare the fight a draw!" Arian yelled, loud enough to be heard over the mutterings from both the grounder and her own people from Camp Jaha. He strode into the middle of the groups, his eyes noticeably alight with passion even in the darkness of the night. "I believe," he shouted, looking from face to face. "That this fight proves our two groups can get along. That we can learn from one another, and that maybe we aren't so different. Our people from Skaikru and our people from Trikru are trapped inside Mount Weather! Together, we can defeat the Mountain Men and free them!" A chorus of cheers ran at his words, and with a glance around, Kat saw that it was mingled between both groups. "Kat kom Skaikru is a warrior of her people. To show that Trikru believes in this alliance, Kat will receive the kill marks that every one of our warriors receive. Both to honor her fighting skills, and to honor the deaths of those she has defeated."

Indra was practically shaking with fury and indignation. "This girl does not deserve – "

Ari turned to Kat. "Kat, have you ever killed someone for enjoyment or sport?"

"No!" Kat denied with a horrified expression. "I was always fighting for my life, fighting to survive!"

Ari turned back to Indra. "I have personally witnessed Kat's fighting ability, and it was those skills that saved my life more than once."

"You have no right – " Indra tried to argue but Ari overrode her once more.

His eyes flashed dangerously. "I outrank you, Indra," Arian snapped, narrowing his eyes in an expression that Kat had never before seen on his face. "The Commander ordered me to oversee that this alliance runs smoothly and that is what I am doing. If you have an issue with that, you may take it up with her." He waited for a moment, but she was finally silent, seething. "Does anyone else have anything they want to say?" Nobody stepped forward. "Good. Then let's get this done."

* * *

A short time later, when the rain had finally stopped and someone had helped the cut above her eye to stop bleeding, Kat found herself sitting in front of a large fire, surrounded once more by both Camp Jaha and the grounders alike. The atmosphere was somber, but aside from the uneasy look on Kane's face and the disgusted one on Indra's, nobody voiced any other complaints. Kat's shoulder was bare, her jacket on the floor next to her and her shirt pulled down. Since her back was already riddled with scars, she had chosen to have the marks done on her shoulder.

She felt strangely detached from this whole thing. She knew that this was a big deal, that this was never done to someone other than a grounder and that it helped bridge the alliance she wanted to form… but it also brought the kills that she had made to the forefront of her mind. Arian had asked her to name the people that she had killed and she felt slightly queasy by the total. She had killed at least seven people. Seven people face to face that she knew had died. Never mind the others in the battle at the dropship – the battle was so fast paced that she couldn't possibly stay to see if the wounds she inflicted resulted in death.

Seven. A supposedly lucky number that was going to haunt her for the rest of her life.

Arian said some words to the group as a whole but Kat zoned out, not listening too closely. Her eyes drifted from face to face, but she didn't see Octavia anywhere and vowed to find her when this was over. She had to bite the inside of her mouth to keep from flinching when Arian held whatever small tool was used to make the marks into the fire until it glowed red and he pressed it into her shoulder seven times.

One thought kept going through her mind the entire time this was happening. What was Bellamy going to say when he saw this new addition to her collection of scars?

* * *

"Hey," Kat murmured softly, tentatively approaching Octavia from where she was sitting on the edge of the bed in the med bay. A flutter of nerves and uncertainty suddenly swarmed in her stomach at the look that Octavia gave her. "Can you please give us a minute?" Kat asked the woman who was tending to Octavia's wounds. The woman nodded and then it was just the two of them. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Octavia said shortly, looking away from her. She must have felt Kat's eyes trailing over the already visible bruises forming on her body. "It looks worse than it feels."

"Right," Kat commented uncomfortably, mystified at Octavia's behavior towards her. "Well, I – I just wanted to say that even though demanding a fight like that was incredibly stupid and crazy, that I was proud of you for not giving up – "

"Oh really?" Octavia drawled sarcastically, leaning an arm on her knee as she looked up at Kat, her face hard. "Is that why you volunteered to fight after me like that? You made me look weak, Kat, like I was just some stupid little girl who had no idea what she was doing!"

Kat was shaking her head before Octavia had even finished speaking. "Octavia," Kat gaped, her mouth opening and closing. "I never meant to make you feel like that! Arian and I had planned – "

"And that's another thing!" Octavia interrupted hotly, her eyes finding the bandage and salve over her new marks. "You're concocting plans with the Commander's brother now, you're receiving their marks – are you trying to become one of them?"

"No!" Kat denied, desperately trying to figure this out, running a hand through her hair in agitation. Frowning, an idea suddenly sparked in her mind and several missing pieces clicked into place. "…Are you?" Octavia looked away, jaw working as Kat kept talking, thinking out loud. "Your hair, Lincoln, the need to prove yourself to them… Oh, Octavia, you aren't jealous are you? I was just trying to help Ari find a way to bridge the gap between the two groups – "

"They didn't cause me to live in fear of being discovered for the first sixteen years of my life," Octavia hissed, springing to her feet and hiding her obvious pain. "They didn't kill my mother for simply having a child and they didn't making my brother lose his job just because he brought his sister to a party. Why should I owe any allegiance to the Ark?" Octavia's chest was heaving, her narrowed eyes alight with fire. "All they have done is bring my family and I pain."

Kat felt like Fio had hit her in the face again she was so shocked at Octavia's loud admission. She opened her mouth but had nothing to say to her friend, no words of comfort or acceptance. She cast her mind around, trying to think of something appropriate to say before her friend grew any angrier, but before she could, footsteps sounded and they both looked around to see Indra entering the med bay.

Her dark eyes went to Octavia first before looking at Kat and flickering with lingering anger. Realizing that she didn't want to continue this conversation in front of Indra and that Indra was here to talk to Octavia, Kat reluctantly murmured, "I'll see you later," before leaving them both.

She stopped when she got back outside, closing her eyes, tilting her head back and taking a deep breath of fresh air. Today had not going according to how she had planned at all. Apparently if one Blake isn't upset with her, than she could be sure the other one would be. She headed towards her tent even though she really wanted to check in with Raven to see if there was news from Bellamy. Knowing Raven would find her if there was, Kat hoped that he was having a better time of it than she was.

* * *

**Bellamy's POV**

Bellamy's heart was pounding frantically in his chest, his anxiety made worse by the blindfold that hid his vision. There was this nagging voice in the back of his mind, one that said that this plan was too risky, that it wasn't going to work. The reapers had roughly stripped him of all his clothes except for his boxers and forced him to his knees, his hands tied behind his back. He didn't know where Lincoln was, but Bellamy sure hoped he was searching for an opportunity to free him so they could fight their way inside.

The doors to the mountain opened and the blindfold was pulled off him. The first thing he did was look for Lincoln and the relief that went through Bellamy at the moment that Lincoln nodded reassuringly was nearly obvious. Several people in radiation suits quickly swarmed the tunnel, holding up a device that made the reapers cower back in fear and pain.

A smaller figure entered, a woman, carrying a clipboard. One of the guards went up to each of the reapers, who fell to their knees as they were injected with the Red drug, gasping out sighs of ecstasy before falling over on their sides. The woman, meanwhile, went up to each of the prisoners, marking them all for harvest. Bellamy surreptitiously glanced up at Lincoln as the woman approached him. Alarm spread through him when he realized Lincoln's eyes were glued to the syringe the Mountain Man was holding, his expression torn as he battled against himself. The Mountain Man called next and Lincoln stumbled forward a step.

Bellamy waited, muscles tensed for Lincoln to spring into action, to begin the fight and free him. The horror spread, the realization dawning as Lincoln's guilty eyes met his own as he collapsed to his knees beside the Mountain Man. Bellamy's eyes widened as he shook his head, helpless to do anything but watch as Lincoln closed his eyes, tilted his head to the side as the Mountain Man injected him with the drug and he collaposed.

Kat was the first person that popped into Bellamy's mind as their plan went to shit. He had promised her that he would be careful, that he would come back safe. Lincoln had tried to warn him that he didn't think he would do this, but they had been so close… Octavia was next, followed by Clarke and Raven and all the other forty-seven kids stuck inside this mountain. He was supposed to save them. He was supposed to save them all and he had failed before he had even started.

"No!" He roared, struggling against the arms that held him as the woman ordered for them all to be harvested. "No!" Other Mountain Men came to hold him when he got free, but it wasn't until one of them smashed the butt of his gun against his temple that Bellamy slumped to the side, disoriented. The blackness crept into the claim him and it was a welcome relief to the horrible feeling of failure, disappointment and fear.

* * *

**Author's Note: I HATE to see Bellamy in pain, it physically makes me sick to me stomach! The idea about Kat getting kill marks was something that I had been toying with for a while – what did you guys think? Can you imagine any consequences to her actions? Also, how much of Bellamy's POV do you guys want to see in future chapters?**

**There are six more chapters left for season 2! Now, I want to be completely honest here. I don't know if I'm going to be writing into season 3 yet, and I don't think I'll be able to officially decide until it's over and I can come up with some ideas for Kat. I kind of feel like this season is a constant edge of your seat, trying to outdo each episode type of thing and its kind of exhausting haha. And with this writer's block I'm experiencing, plus the fact that both reviews and reads are lower than usual these past few chapters, I've just been feeling discouraged about the whole thing. I will keep you guys updated on my thought process as we go on though.**

**As always, be sure to give this chapter a review! I personally thank each and every one of you that takes the time to do so :)**

Guest 1 - I'm sorry that you cried, but sort of flattered that I was able to make you feel that much emotion! I can't wait until they're reunited as well, thank you for reviewing!

Guest 2 - Thanks, that's such a huge compliment! I'm flattered :)

Guest 3 - Holy cow, thank you! It's nice to see someone who loves Kat and Bellamy's relationship almost as much as I do! They've really been through so much together. Bellerina 3

Guest 4 - Kat's definitely going to have to get used to being away from Bellamy for a bit, and she's going to be learning how to be on her own again as well as dealing with the fact that he's in danger by his choice! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reviewing!

Guest 5 - There really does seem to be constant anxiety this season doesn't there? It's a never ending edge of your seat hour! Thanks for your kind review!

Guest 6 - Thanks for bringing this up, I didn't realize there was a mistake! I fixed it right away. Lexa and Ari have different mothers but the same father. Thanks for reviewing!

MoonJuneBug - Thank you so much for the thoughtful review! The fact that you think Kat is a realistic, three dimensional character is the biggest compliment you can give me because that was one of my goals when I first started Free to Live, Free to Love! I definitely didn't want a Mary Sue! I like to think that Kat hovers someone in between Clarke and Octavia, but she obviously gravitates more towards O. She considers Clarke a friend but she gets so frustrated with her sometimes, and isn't afraid to speak her mind if she thinks Clarke is being stupid. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Guest 7 - So glad you loved the chapter, and I hope you liked the training scene in this one as well! Hopefully it was realistic. Clarke can annoy Kat to no end lol and she has no problem standing against her if need be. I think we will definitely be seeing more of this! Thanks for reviewing!


	13. From Bad to Worse

**Author's Note: Thank you for all the kind words and reviews! I apologize for the delay, but I hope the length of this chapter makes up for it! I seem to finally be moving past the writer's block finally, but I had to combine two episodes into this chapter. Hope you guys like it!**

**Special thanks to Dannylionthe1st for reading through this!**

* * *

Chapter 13: From Bad to Worse

"Clarke and the others should be back by now," Kat worriedly muttered under her breath. "They're late – something's wrong."

"I'm sure it is nothing too serious," Arian answered, as they strode across Camp Jaha. "Indra, Octavia and some of our best warriors went out to meet them."

"Yeah, that's another thing," Kat protested, her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. "Octavia tells me that she's now Indra's second. What does that mean exactly?"

"Indra sees a strength of spirit in Octavia, ever since that fight against Fio," Ari explained, lowering his voice as they both sidestepped around people passing them. "It is a great honor that Indra bestowed upon Octavia. She will learn what it means to be a true warrior and leader and if the time ever comes when Indra's fight ends, then Octavia will step up and take her place."

"So she's kind of like an apprentice," Kat concluded, frowning. "Except she only gets promoted when Indra kicks the bucket."

Ari shot her a confused look. "I don't understand half of what you just said. Why must Indra kick a bucket?"

"Open the gate!" One of the guards shouted as Kat and Ari approached the front of the camp. They shared a confused look and picked up the pace as several guards began to run around to follow orders.

"What the hell?" Kat muttered, her eyes taking in the several people who were hurrying through the gates. "Clarke!" She called, jogging along beside the blonde who was striding through the camp beside one of the two stretchers. Kat's eyes narrowed when she saw who was occupying it. "What happened out there? And why do you have a fucking Mountain Man with you?"

"We were attacked," Clarke spat, eyes furious. "Octavia killed the other Mountain Man that shot the guard Lexa sent with me." She glanced up ahead to where her mother had her hands pressed against the man's wound as they hurried to the med bay. "We patched the hole in this guy's suit, but we need to hurry."

"Jackson, we've got two patients! You get the radiation burns, I've got the gunshot wound." Abby ordered as she directed the guards to lay the two men on the tables. "We're going to need blood and lots of it. You, Arian," she commanded, pointing to him impatiently. "Press your hands here to stop the bleeding. I need to get some of my tools."

Kat tore her eyes from Arian's determined face and looked back down at the Mountain Man, wincing at the burns on his face. Her eyes scanned his suit as she thought quickly. "You said you patched his suit. That means we're not going to be able to take it off to help him, are we?"

Jackson looked frustrated. "How are we supposed to treat him if we can't even touch him?"

Raven appeared, looking ready to help. "Anything from Bellamy?" Clarke asked hopefully, making Kat's heart squeeze at the sound of his name.

"No," Raven answered distractedly, sending yet another wave of disappointment through Kat. It had been way too long since he infiltrated Mount Weather. They should have heard from him by now and the fact that they hadn't made Kat's body seize with fear every time she thought about it.

"Then why aren't you at the radio?" Clarke snapped in exasperation.

"Octavia just took my place, so how about you back off?" Raven snarled in response, looking disgusted by Clarke's tone. Clarke wrenched her mouth open to argue back and Kat nearly lost it.

"Enough, Clarke," Kat interrupted loudly, gray eyes flashing angrily towards the blonde. Kat had been trying so hard to bury the anger that she felt towards her friend for the callous way that she had sent Bellamy away, but she was obviously failing miserably. Clarke looked taken aback by Kat's apparent fury and that almost made her even angrier. "We need to think of a way to treat this guy without taking his suit off, focus on that."

"I can rig up some scrubbers in the airlock!" Raven declared enthusiastically, already turning to leave. "Give me twenty minutes!" She called over her shoulder before hurrying off as fast as her leg would allow.

There was a commotion from the other side of the room and Kat looked over in time to see Arian step away from the other grounder with a solemn expression, his hands slick with blood. "He's gone," Abby muttered in defeat, hanging her head.

Indra stepped up to the warrior on the table, cutting off his braid and muttering the grounder death rite under her breath. As soon as she was finished, she lifted her head, her angry gaze finding Clarke. "A killer lives while a warrior dies?" She murmured in a soft voice as she slowly stalked closer, her eyes blazing. "This is your way?"

Clarke looked offended. "Of course not, Indra. I'm sorry about your man, I am!" She gestured down at the Mountain Man impatiently. "But he can tell us about Mount Weather – "

"Then let _me_ make him talk – "

"No," Clarke interrupted firmly. "We are not going to torture him."

"Clarke's right," Abby agreed, coming to stand by her daughter's side. "He may just talk because we saved his life."

"You people are so weak," Indra spat, her face twisted.

"Brute force, boldness and brutality are not the only ways to show strength, Indra," Kat chimed in, crossing her arms. If this was what she was going to teach Octavia, then Kat was less than impressed. "There are other ways to get what you want, ways that require intelligence and cunning."

"If this man is a true warrior, then he will not speak," Indra countered, tilting her head to the side. "When your childish methods fail, come and find me and we will see what this man has to say."

Ari sent them an apologetic glance as she stormed away. "I'll go and speak with her," he told them. Kat watched him go, feeling sorry for Octavia in that moment. Indra got on her nerves to no end and Kat couldn't imagine dealing with her every moment of every day.

"Are you alright?" Kat looked up as Abby moved closer to Clarke, looking at her with concern and putting a hand on her shoulder.

Clarke brushed both her mother's hand and her concerns aside. "I'm fine," she answered shortly, turning back to Jackson. "He's going to need a transfusion with our blood," she ordered. "It will heal him."

"Clarke," Abby tried again, looking insistent. "Someone tried to _kill you_ today. It's alright to be upset." Kat's eyes flickered between them at this piece of news. The Mountain Men had tried to murder Clarke? Why? To end the alliance between the Sky People and the Grounders?

"I'm fine, mom," Clarke repeated in a strong voice, her voice blank. "It's just another day on the ground. I'm going to the engineering room to wait for Bellamy to radio in." She made to leave but paused, looking curiously over her shoulder. "Kat, are you coming?"

"I think not," Kat answered flatly, her arms still crossed and her posture stiff. "I'll help Raven here and go through the rest of the Mountain Men's things."

Clarke's blue eyes narrowed. "Fine. May I have a word first, then?"

Kat's jaw worked, but she couldn't very well say no without sounding like a petulant child. "Fine," Kat responded through clenched teeth, following the blonde outside the med bay and ignoring the inquisitive glances from Abby.

"Well let's have it out then," Clarke began, leading Kat into an empty room and shutting the door, turning to face her with her arms crossed. "Yell, shout, curse me, do whatever you have to do so that we can get past this."

Kat quirked an eyebrow at her audacity. "I have no idea what you're talking about – "

"Oh, don't play stupid, Kat, it doesn't suit you," Clarke chided harshly, rolling her eyes. "You're mad at me for sending Bellamy on this mission."

"Actually, Blondie, I know that it wasn't your idea to begin with," Kat spat back, struggling not to take a step towards her. "Bellamy probably would have gone into the mountain one way or another, and I know exactly why he's done it. I'm _mad_ because you can be such a fucking bitch sometimes! 'Love is a weakness?' I know that you're hurting because of Finn," she continued. Even though she was angry with Clarke, she still hated to see her flinch at the mention of Finn's name. "And I know that you're looking for ways to survive that pain, but you don't have to go spouting the nonsense to the rest of us."

Clarke wiped a weary hand across her face. "I'm sorry… I just – I haven't felt like myself lately," she admitted, looking as exhausted as Kat felt, leaning back against the wall. "Every decision that I make, I have to weigh the pros and cons, decide what's best for the good of our people and listen to both sides telling me what to do."

Kat's face and postured softened. "I don't envy you for that, Clarke. But you must understand that both myself and Raven are only trying to help you, to ease the burden that you carry as our leader. You need to remember that and stop taking out your frustrations on us. We've all got something to lose in this war."

Clarke nodded slowly, looking slightly ashamed. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I will try to do better."

* * *

"Carl Emerson. Mount Weather Security Detail." Kat rolled her eyes as the Mountain Man repeated the same words over and over. Kane had been trying for the better part of thirty minutes to coax some sort of information from the man, but to no avail. Kat didn't even think his face twitched with each method that Kane tried.

"He's not going to talk," Clarke called to Kane in frustration.

"He will if we open the doors," Kane retorted, arms crossed. Kat looked up from where she was going through the Mountain Man's things, to finally see him twitch in what Kat thought was fear.

"We are not doing that, we're not torturing him," Clarke said once more.

"But Clarke, we could save your friends – "

"I am the Chancellor, Kane," Abby interrupted, drawing herself up to her full height. "We are not torturing this man for information."

"You are not acting like one," Kane responded heatedly. "I told you that I would support you as long as I believed you were doing the right thing."

"Look at this," Kat murmured to Clarke, ignoring the bickering adults and passing along a couple photographs of herself and Lexa. Clarke's face darkened when she flicked through them. Kat held up a silver object next. "What do you think this is? Huh. Looks like there's a button here…" Kat pressed it and winced as a high-pitched noise resounded from it. "Okay, now I know what it is," she muttered, rubbing a hand against her ear as she handed it over to Clarke.

Clarke turned the tone generator around in her hands, looking at it interestedly. "Do you think Raven will be able to replicate this?"

Kat snorted. "Raven built the first working radio to talk to the Ark, she made walkie talkies, this radiation free zone in less than twenty minutes and countless other things! Raven can do anything, though I suppose we should go and ask her ourselves to be sure." Clarke's eyes flickered behind Kat to where Abby and Kane were still arguing. "Leave them be," Kat sighed, walking around the table and putting a hand on Clarke's back to guide her out the door. "They won't even notice that we're gone through the fog of sexual tension surrounding them."

"Augh – what?" Clarke sputtered in disgust, momentarily distracted from the day's troubles. "That's my _mother_ you're talking about, Kat - and Kane! All they do is argue – "

"That's how Bellamy and I started," Kat stated slyly, lips twitching at the look on Clarke's face. "Believe me, now I know it when I see it."

"Alright that's enough, no more about yours and Bellamy's or my mothers and Kane's sexual tensions. Before I vomit, please." Kat grinned at Clarke's back as she sped up on her way to Raven's workspace. Making Clarke uncomfortable was a small bright spot in an otherwise long string of bleak days. "Hey Raven," Clarke greeted, passing the tone generator to the other girl sitting at her work table. "Do you think you can replicate this?"

Raven examined it for a moment, turning it on and off. "Yeah. I can totally replicate this."

"Good," Clarke mused, nodding as she paced the room, thinking out loud. "If we can make enough of these then we can neutralize the tunnels as an option for when we attack Mount Weather. Get on that."

"You don't need to give me orders, Clarke," Raven rebuked, rolling her eyes. Kat used this opportunity to shoot Clarke a quick, warning look. "I've got this."

Before Clarke could respond in any way, Octavia came busting through in her usual fashion, looking between the three of them anxiously. "Hey, any word from Bellamy yet?"

"No," Raven answered, shaking her head. "Nothing yet."

Octavia threw her hands in the air, her face distraught. "Lincoln is still missing too! He should be back by now and we should have heard from Bellamy. What if they didn't even make it to the mountain, what if they're de – "

"No," Kat interrupted involuntarily, her eyes narrowed and her voice loud in the small room. There was a long moment of silence as Kat and Octavia stared each other down, the unresolved issues between them coming to the surface.

Clarke looked between them cautiously. "Lincoln and Bellamy will be fine," she assured them.

Raven snorted, half her attention diverted as she closely examined the tone generator. "They better be. This entire plan rests on Bellamy getting in."

"He's going to get in," Kat told her, bracing her hands on the table as she leaned forward, capturing Raven's full attention. Kat had never felt more serious in her life and she wanted Raven to get the message. "There is no other option."

A voice suddenly sounded over the speakers. "Counselor Kane and Clarke Griffin, please report to the south airlock immediately."

"What do you think that's about?" Octavia asked, frowning, momentarily distracted.

"I'm not sure," Clarke responded slowly. "But I better go check – we'll continue this later."

Clarke left the room and almost immediately an awkward silence descended within the room, the tension between Kat and Octavia almost mounting. Raven obviously felt it too, because she was looking between the two of them with a curious frown, her eyebrows furrowed. Shifting awkwardly, Octavia spouted some nonsense about going to check in with Indra and left.

Half of Kat wanted to go after her to talk through whatever was going on between them, but the other half was annoyed and stubborn. When Kat had received those kill marks, she had only been trying to bridge the gaps between their people and the grounders. She wasn't trying to join the grounders or prove herself to be better than Octavia – she just wanted peace and to free their friends in Mount Weather. She was trying to see the bigger picture and if Octavia couldn't see that than it wasn't Kat's problem.

"What's that all about?" Raven asked, spinning around to face her and unashamedly prying.

Kat sighed, shifting some metal things that she couldn't name to the side so she could sit back on the table. "I'm not really sure. Octavia is… going through some things right now. I've been trying to give her space to work it out."

"That sounds like a plan," Raven nodded, turning back to the tone generator. "Except that if there's one thing I learned since living on the ground, it's that you can never leave anything unsaid. If you don't get everything out into the open, then it may end up being too late. And then all you're left with is your pain and your regrets." Raven's words hit her like a punch to the gut. Her words could not have been truer. Living down here, any day could be your last – it was something that they had learned the hard way. "Hey," Raven called softly, looking over to see Kat staring off into space, gnawing her bottom lip. "I can practically feel the anxiety and worry radiating off of you. Do you want to talk about anything? Octavia…. Bellamy?"

"Those Blake's will be the death of me," Kat murmured, smiling softly. "I think Octavia and I will be able to work our shit out, but Bellamy…. I just need to know that he's all right. The fact that we haven't heard from him yet makes me so anxious that I can't eat, sleep or do anything else remotely productive."

"I get it Kat, believe me," Raven sighed. "I felt the same way when I found out about Finn and Clarke. And now that Finn's gone…"

Kat saw the sadness on Raven's face and her heart went out to her friend. "How do you handle everything that's happened?"

Raven shrugged. "The way I see it, the only two options we have is to either hide in our tents and pretend like nothing is happening or tough it out and move forward." She gave Kat a speculative look and held out one of her tools. "Here, help me with this. It always made things easier if my mind and hands were occupied."

Kat hesitated for a moment before taking the tool, turning it around in her hands with a clueless expression. "I have no idea how to use this."

"Of course not, since you're not a Zero-G mechanic," Raven chuckled, grinning. "Just listen very carefully to my instructions."

And so she did. Kat listened to everything Raven told her to do, so focused on the tool in her hands that she was surprised to find everything else faded from her mind for the moment. She even lost track of time and was only jolted from the task at hand when Clarke came back into the workshop, looking even more distressed than when she had left.

She stopped in the middle of the room, her hopeless, lost gaze drifting between Kat and Raven. "We're too late," she stated, her voice sounding both strained and empty at the same time. Kat slowly rose from her chair at the look on her face, apprehension drifting through her in waves. "The Mountain Men are already bleeding our friends. We've lost – it's over."

Kat had never seen that expression on Clarke's face before. Not when their camp got slammed with a virus from the Grounders, not when an army of them were sent to kill them and not when they were trapped inside Mount Weather. Kat opened her mouth to say something, anything, but Raven beat her.

"No," she cried, pushing her chair back as she furiously rose to her feet. "You do not get to give up, Clarke," she continued, her voice trembling with emotion. "I didn't give up when you killed Finn! Bellamy is somewhere inside Mount Weather and Kat hasn't given up! We're sitting here building the damn tone generators, now you do your job!"

The lost look in Clarke's eyes faded as they blazed blue with fire once more. "What is my job?" Clarke shouted, throwing her hands up in the air.

"I don't know!" Raven yelled back, face twisted. "To come up with something!"

"I have tried!" Clarke almost looked as if there were tears in her eyes, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I've tried…"

"No one is going to give up," Kat declared speaking up for the first time, her voice strong as she interrupted the two of them. "This isn't over until Bellamy and the others are safely back at Camp Jaha. Now, we have to stick together and play our parts if we want to succeed. Raven, you come up with the brilliant ideas and build the things we need. Clarke, like it or not, you stepped up to be our leader, so you make the big decisions and find ways to save the rest of us. And I…. I'm the muscle I guess?" She shook her head, brushing it aside. "I don't know, but we're not going to be able to do this unless we stick together and – "

She stopped talking abruptly as the radio on Raven's table spoke. "Camp Jaha, this is Mount Weather, can anybody read me?"

_Bellamy._ Kat swayed alarmingly as his voice washed over her, the relief that she felt so great that she was actually lighthearted for a long moment. "Holy crap," she heard Raven mutter as her and Clarke rushed over to the radio, but all Kat could think in that moment was, "He's alive. He's okay." It replayed over and over in her mind and when he spoke through the radio again, she felt as if she could cry with happiness.

Raven put a hand on Kat's shoulder, capturing her attention and grinning at her as Clarke picked up the radio. "Bellamy?" Clarke questioned, her eyes wide.

There was a moment of silence. "Clarke?"

A tremulous smile flitted across Clarke's face as she looked over at Kat and the three of them took a second to appreciate this moment. "Yeah," Clarke answered him, lifting the radio to her mouth again. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," he answered quickly, sounding slightly impatient. "What about you guys? How's Octavia? And Kat?"

Clarke looked at Kat again and handed the radio over to her, nodding for her to take it. "Bellamy?" Kat asked softly, trying to ignore Raven and Clarke's eyes on her. "Octavia and I are fine, but you're late, where the hell have you been?"

"Hey Kitten." Kat could hear the smile in his voice and wished more than anything that she could see it on his face. "I wish I could talk more, but I'm going to have to make this quick. Something's changed here. Jasper, Monty, everyone – they just locked them in the dorm."

"But you saw them?" Kat pressed, noting Clarke's frown. "They're alive?"

"I think so, for now," Bellamy answered, speaking quickly. "Maya said that they're already using their blood and things are going to get ugly real fast."

Clarke held her hand out for the radio and Kat passed it over. "Maya's with you?"

"She helped me escape," Bellamy told them. "If not for her then I would be dead for sure." Kat took a moment to mentally thank whatever god was up there for Maya, glad that she was on their side. "And Clarke? There are kids here, we need to come up with a plan that doesn't kill everyone. Please tell me that you have one."

"We're going to think of something," Clarke promised, looking determined. "But we won't be able to get close to Mount Weather until you disable the acid fog. Raven's going to help you with that."

"Got it. What else?"

"If you free the Grounder prisoners, then there's an entire army under that mountain that they don't know about."

"Like a Trojan horse. Good plan," Bellamy approved. "If we're going to be able to do all this, I'm going to need you to buy me some time. I've been lucky so far, but it won't be long before they find out I don't belong here and if that happens – "

"It won't happen," Clarke interrupted insistently. "I'll come up with something. You came through Bellamy. I knew you would."

There was a long moment of silence and Kat could almost see the look of discomfort and unease on Bellamy's face at the compliment and the praise. "All I've done so far is not get killed."

Kat snatched the radio from Clarke's hand. "And that's exactly what you're going to keep on doing," Kat told him heatedly, her entire body aching to be there with him to make sure that he was safe. "Check in with us every three hours, Bell, so that we know you're okay and our plan is still intact," she continued, looking up to see Clarke nodding in approval, a look in her eye that told Kat there was already an idea forming in her mind. "I'm going to hand you over to Raven. Be safe."

"You too." They both hesitated, wanting to say more but conscious of the people surrounding them. Kat reluctantly handed the radio over to Raven and made to follow Clarke out the door, a new purpose and energy in the room now that they've heard from Bellamy.

"Wait, where are you guys going?" Raven asked, looking after them.

"Clarke's got a plan, haven't you?" Kat asked, looking over at the blonde.

"I've got an idea on how to keep them looking outside instead of in. My job is to give Bellamy more time and that's exactly what I'm going to do." Raven nodded approvingly. "We'll catch up with you later."

"What's the plan?" Kat asked as they strode back outside. "Whatever it is, I'm in. I just need to tell Octavia that Bellamy finally radioed in. She'd want to know."

"Of course," Clarke responded, thinking quickly. "That's good, actually, find her, Indra, Arian and the rest of them and meet me at the airlock. Be quick."

Kat jogged off, knowing exactly where to go to find Octavia. She had been spending more and more time with Indra and the rest of the Grounders in a section of Camp Jaha where they had set up. Octavia and the rest of the Grounders stood as she approached, Indra crossing her arms and looking at her distrustfully.

"Bellamy just radioed in," Kat told Octavia, unable to stop herself from smiling even though she knew Octavia was pissed at her. "He's alright," she reassured her quickly, seeing the concern on her face. "He's made contact with Maya and he's currently talking to Raven on how to shut off the acid fog." Kat's gaze moved to Indra and Ari who was standing by her side. "Clarke needs you all by the airlock that's holding the prisoner. She has a plan and needs your help."

"Of course," Ari nodded immediately, gesturing for his men to follow him as he led the way inside the Ark station, Indra passing her with yet another dirty look. Octavia made to follow her but Kat grabbed her arm to stop her. "Wait. Whatever is going on between us, we need to talk about it," Kat said, just realizing how much she sounded like Clarke and wondering if that made her a hypocrite. "I'm not trying to – "

"We're not going to take a time out to talk about our _feelings_ Kat, we don't have time for this. Bellamy is out there, risking his life – "

"Don't you think I know that?" Kat snapped, feeling frustrated. "I don't want to talk about feelings either, O, I just want things between us to go back to normal – "

"There is no normal, anymore!" Octavia shouted loudly, eyes flashing. "There is only survival and if we want to do that than Clarke needs our help. That's more important right now and that is what we need to focus on."

"Octavia – " Kat tried again, but she only tore her arm out of Kat's grip and ran off after the other grounders. "Goddamn it," she swore under her breath, angrily running her hands through her hair and feeling like she needed to punch something. Octavia did have a point, but it didn't change the fact that there was still this rift between them that Kat desperately wanted to fix, something she felt like she _needed_ to fix.

Knowing that she couldn't push Octavia to do anything she didn't want to do, Kat had no other option than to follow them to the airlock to see what Clarke had planned. She shoved her confused feelings to the side for the moment so they wouldn't get in the way, wishing that she had more experience with this whole friend thing so that she knew what the next step would be.

Kat reached the airlock in time to see Clarke speaking with Carl Emerson, Mount Weather security, Octavia, Arian and the rest of the Grounders flanking her. "Put on your suit," she said to the man, her voice brooking no argument. "You're coming with me."

"Where?" Emerson asked distrustfully.

Clarke tilted her head to the side. "Home. That's what you want, isn't it? Now do as I say. It's not like you really have a choice."

He thought his options through and obviously saw no other way so he did as she said and five minutes later they were marching out of the Ark station and across Camp Jaha to the gates. Two Grounder guards had each of Emerson's arms, Kat and Indra flanked Clarke and Octavia and Ari were behind them.

There was a commotion as soon as their group stepped foot outside. The guards from Camp Jaha immediately blocked their access to the gates as Abby and Kane headed towards them, looking furious. "Clarke, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Abby demanded, her hands on her hips.

"I'm letting the prisoner go," Clarke answered, moving to go past her mother.

"Absolutely not!" Abby cried incredulously, getting in her way once more.

"He hasn't told us anything yet," Kane added, his face severe. "He could tell us vital information that we need in order to free our people – "

"He's not going to tell us anything," Kat interrupted, crossing her arms. "We'd have to torture him and we can't even be sure that would work."

"He doesn't have to tell us anything. He's going to tell them something," Clarke explained.

Kat wasn't even sure that Abby heard anything that her daughter had just said. She turned to look over her shoulder at her guards. "Take the prisoner back to the airlock cell," she ordered in a voice that was obviously used to being followed. The Ark guards stepped forward but as soon as they moved, so did the Grounders, putting their hands on their swords.

"You may be the Chancellor but I'm in charge," Clarke declared in what Kat thought was the coolest line that she had ever uttered. Kat's lips twitched at how badass her friend was right now, and even though they might not agree on some things, she was proud of how Clarke was stepping up.

Abby looked less than pleased, though to give her some credit, her face never twitched. With her eyes still locked on Clarke, Abby spoke to Indra. "Indra, tell your people to stand down."

"No," Indra drawled.

"People could get hurt," Abby hissed, her composure finally breaking and the anger and the desperation showing through.

Clarke stepped closer to her. "Not if you get out of my way," she murmured softly, her blue eyes boring into her mothers. "You have to trust me and believe that I'm doing what's best for us."

When Abby still hesitated, Kat was surprised to find that Kane was the voice of reason. "The grounders trust her," Kane reminded Abby, looking around at them all and stopping on Kat. "Maybe we should too."

Kat could physically see the moment when Abby relented, her shoulders dropping an inch as she bit back a sigh. "Stand down and move aside," she ordered her guards. "I hope you know what you're doing," she whispered to Clarke before she and Kane stepped to the side.

Clarke clenched her teeth but obviously bit back what she wanted to say as the gates to Camp Jaha opened and their group strode forward. Kat hovered behind Clarke as the guards moved Emerson around to face her. "Can you hear me alright?" Clarke asked, a hard edge to her voice.

Emerson glared at her through the helmet of his radiation suit, the hatred evident on his face. "Loud and clear," he ground out.

"Good," Clarke responded coolly, her posture strong. She looked every inch of their leader in that moment and the prisoner and everyone surrounding it recognized it. "Then listen carefully. I have a message for your leader. Tell him we're coming for him. You may be watching us, but you haven't seen anything. Our grounder army is bigger than you think and even if you could find it, your acid fog can't hurt us. And now thanks to you," Clarke smirked and pulled the tone generator out of her pocket, turning it on for a second so he could see and hear it. "Neither can the reapers. So I'm going to give you one last chance: let our people go and we will let you live."

"I got it," Emerson grunted, still staring her down.

"I hope so." Clarke's head tilted to the side as she surveyed him. "It's an eight hour walk back to Mount Weather, right?" She grabbed his oxygen tank and released some of the air. "You're going to do it in six."

Panic flitted across Emerson's face. "That's impossible. I thought you wanted me to be able to deliver your message."

"That's not my problem," Clarke shrugged uncaringly. "You'll have to figure it out if you want to live. Now go."

Throwing her one last glare, Emerson turned on his heel and took off into the darkness. When Clarke turned to face the rest of the camp, Octavia stepped into her path still looking unsettled. "You want to tell me how this helps me brother?" She questioned heatedly.

"I just told them that we have a secret army that their number one weapon cannot destroy," Clarke took the time to explain. "The longer that they are looking outside the walls of the mountain, the less they are looking inside. We are buying Bellamy some time to do what needs to be done. If he dies…. Then we die."

"He's going to be fine," Kat interjected insistently, yet again. "He has to be."

* * *

The next morning, Kat found herself leaning against the Ark station with her arms crossed, watching Octavia, Indra and the other grounders pack their things and saddle their horses. After yet another restless night, discontent had grabbed ahold of her as she watched them ready to leave for Tondc. Her and Octavia still hadn't had the chance to speak and each minute that passed made her more and more anxious, especially after Raven's warning.

"Sky Girl," Ari greeted, coming over to her after spotting her watching them. "Are you sure you do not want to come with us?"

Kat's eyes drifted towards him and then back to Octavia. "I don't think that would be a good idea. If space is what Octavia needs, then that is what I'm going to give her. Even if I would rather tie her up and make her listen to me instead."

"You care for her," Ari observed, surveying her critically. "More than the others."

Kat shrugged a shoulder, crossing her arms uncomfortably. "She's Bellamy's sister and the first real friend that I ever made. She's the strongest, fiercest person I've ever met. Besides that, we both come from… Troubled childhoods and I guess we just saw a bit of ourselves in the other. I've only known them a short while, but both Bellamy and Octavia have become my family."

"And why is there a rift between you?" Ari asked curiously. "Does it have to do with Lincoln?"

Kat sighed. "The fact that he's still missing doesn't help, I'm sure. But Octavia thinks that I'm somehow trying to take her place as a grounder, trying to outshine her or something."

"Ah," Ari nodded, understanding dawning. "I am guessing that those kill marks did not help contradict her line of thinking."

"Not really, but it was a move that needed to be made all the same. She'll come around eventually, I hope."

"I could try and speak to her if you wish, while we are in Tondc," Ari suggested. "I'm sure there will be a spare moment or two while Lexa is negotiating peace between the twelve clans – "

"No, thank you though, Ari," Kat interrupted, shaking her head. "That would only make things worse. If I've learned one thing about Octavia, it's that you can't force her to do anything, she has to come to the decision on her own." A flash of blonde caught her eye and Kat looked over to see Clarke striding out of the Ark station, that determined expression on her face that Kat knew all too well. Clarke caught her eye and nodded her head in the opposite direction. "I'll come say goodbye to you before you guys leave," she told him distractedly, putting a hand on his arm as she stepped around him and headed towards Clarke.

"What's going on?" Kat questioned as Clarke stopped them in a secluded area.

"Bellamy just radioed in," Clarke told her in a hushed whisper. Each time she said those words, it sent yet another wave of relief through Kat, small reassurances that Bellamy was still alive. "Plans have changed. The Mountain Men are taking our people, one at a time every hour or so. I'm not going to Tondc while they are in trouble."

"But Lexa's expecting you," Kat frowned. "You're supposed to be sharing our plan with the other twelve clans – "

"I'm going to get there as soon as I can, but right now I'm needed here," Clarke interrupted firmly. "I'm going to have to send someone else, someone Lexa trusts."

Kat thought quickly. "What about your mom? Or Kane even, Lexa trusts him."

"Kane could work," Clarke nodded slowly, brow furrowed. "My mother's still the Chancellor, she's needed here."

"Well you better find Kane soon, Ari and the others are going to leave soon, they're almost ready."

Clarke nodded again, looking at something over Kat's shoulder and shifting on her feet. "I'm going to go let him know. See you later," she mumbled before disappearing, leaving Kat standing there, wondering what it was that she was supposed to be doing.

"Hey," an awkward voice came from behind her, one that she recognized and caused her eyes to widen.

Sure enough, when she turned around, Octavia was standing behind her, hands stuffed into her pockets and her entire body radiating how uncomfortable she was. "Hey," Kat replied after a moment, getting over her shock. "Did Arian talk to you?" She blurted in confusion. "Cause if he did I'll – "

"No, he didn't," Octavia frowned, glancing over at him. "Was he supposed to?"

"No!" Kat responded quickly, causing an awkward silence to fall over the both of them. Kat's eyes flicked around the camp as they both shifted awkwardly.

"So," Octavia began again, clearing her throat and pointing a thumb over her shoulder. "We're about to head out."

Kat bobbed her head in a nod. "Okay. Be safe out there, don't let your guard down."

"Thanks," Octavia answered. She made to leave but hesitated, looking back at Kat and sighing. "Look… I know you weren't trying to – to do anything on purpose, or whatever, I know you were only trying to help."

"I was," Kat agreed softly.

"I just wanted to say that before we left."

"I'm glad you did," Kat told her, the corner of her mouth lifting in a smile. "Now are we done talking about our feelings? You're making me feel like such a girl."

Octavia snorted and rolled her eyes, reaching out and punching her on the arm. "Shut it, Hale. I'll see you when we get back."

"See you." Kat waved as Octavia headed to her horse, passing Kane and his guards on the way. The large ball of tension that had settled in Kat's stomach since Bellamy left and Octavia had shouted at her, lessened a little bit. Their relationship may not be back to normal yet, but it was on the mend and in Kat's mind that was a step in the right direction.

She followed her at a slower pace, looking up as Ari's horse trotted up next to her, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. "I've left you one of our horses just in case," Ari told her. "I've left it next to the one that Lexa loaned to Clarke."

"Thanks, Ari."

He eyed her for a moment, a small frown on his face. "Maybe I should stay here with you. You're bound to end up in some sort of trouble – "

"Don't be ridiculous," Kat snorted, brushing his concerns away. "I'm going to be fine. Besides, Lexa will be expecting you and you can't afford to get on her bad side again."

Was that disappointment that she saw on his face? "You're right," he agreed, nodding his head once. "Then I shall see you when I return, Sky Girl."

She waved as he joined the rest of the group and they headed toward the gates as it opened. She felt better knowing that after this meeting with the twelve clans was over, things were a step closer to going back to normal.

Shoving her hands in her pockets, Kat turned away from the gate and made for Raven's workstation to see if Bellamy had checked in yet. It was coming up on the three-hour mark and she wanted to see how the plan was going.

She rounded the corner of the Ark station, lost in thought, and had to stop abruptly in her tracks as she almost ran into Abby. "Shit," Kat swore, swiftly stepping back a few steps. "Abby – "

"Sorry," Abby muttered distractedly, her eyes only focusing on Kat after a long moment, during which her gaze turned speculative and Kat's guard went up. "Kat. Can I talk to you? Somewhere private?"

Kat squinted at her suspiciously, not liking the look on Abby's face. "Why?"

"Come with me," Abby insisted, her gaze imploring. "Please."

Kat's eyes drifted behind Abby to where Clarke might be talking to Bellamy right now before heaving a big sigh. "Fine. But make it quick." Abby nodded gratefully, turning towards the Ark station and leading the way inside. They walked in silence until they reached the room where Abby held her council meetings. "What's this about?" Kat asked once more, watching her close the door behind them with her arms crossed.

"Clarke," Abby answered, walking around to the other side of the table, bracing her hands on it as she looked across at Kat.

Kat grimaced unpleasantly. "What about her? I'm not sure I feel really comfortable discussing this with you, I don't want to be put in the middle – "

Abby cut her off as if she hadn't heard her. "My eighteen year old daughter is running around this camp, giving orders, making alliances and acting as if she's leading our people. She's going to get herself killed – "

Kat shook her head in disagreement. "Abby – "

"She is my only daughter!" Abby snapped, eyes wild, as she slammed her palms flat on the table. "I need her to be safe! I cannot lose her too, she's all I have left. We need to convince her to relinquish whatever power she holds to me, since I'm the Chancellor. I can handle the peace negotiations and rescuing our people from Mount Weather, and then when this is all over, you guys can go back to being regular kids again – "

Pain started to throb behind Kat's eyes. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Kat gestured to the chair and said, "Have a seat, Abby."

Abby blinked, looking nonplussed. " – What?"

"Take a seat," Kat repeated, her voice a bit more stern. "I'm going to tell you a few things that you and the other _adults_ don't seem to have realized. You can have me lashed, or throw me in a cell for all I care, but you need to get on the same page as the rest of us and understand what's been going on here, so listen carefully." Kat was really passed caring if she was being rude or disrespectful to arguably one of the most powerful people in Camp Jaha. This just wasn't something that she had time to be dealing with right now. "First of all, there are very few of us that were ever normal kids. I was raised in pain and fear, Octavia grew up under the floor for fuck's sake. Clarke was probably one of the only ones who had a normal childhood, and then she learned her own mother is the reason her father was floated." Abby's eyes flashed dangerously as she shot back to her feet, but Kat continued on. "Then the 'responsible adults' sent us all down to the ground to save some oxygen, even though we might have immediately died when the doors opened. Let me tell you something about that daughter that you think you have to protect. Even since we made it to the ground, Clarke has been fighting to save all of us. She has stood by what she thinks is right, she has taken hundreds of lives and she is now going to help lead an army into a war. Clarke has her moments, but I trust her. Like she said yesterday, you may be the Chancellor but Clarke is our leader and she is the only one that I will be following."

There was a long, tense moment of silence as Abby and Kat stared each other down, breathing heavily. Kat wished she could read what was going through Abby's mind, but she couldn't even decipher the look on her face. She waited warily, wondering if Abby was going to slap her across the face or throw her in a cell.

* * *

**Clarke's POV**

_Which is why we're going to use a missile… this time we won't miss…_ The words repeated in Clarke's head over and over as she stood there, her feet and legs rooted to the ground in shock. A missile. The Mountain Men had a freaking missile? How in the hell were they supposed to fight against a missile? A pounding began on each side of her temple, the stress and anxiety settling down at the base of her skull.

"Please tell me you heard all that," Bellamy muttered in a strained voice over the radio.

"We heard it," Raven answered, her eyes worried and her face abnormally pale.

She had just sent her own people to Tondc, they probably were there by now. And Lexa was there with the twelve clan leaders – hundreds of people were going to die.

"We have to do something," Clarke announced, thinking frantically. "We have to warn them somehow. Did Kane take a radio with him?"

Raven was shaking her head before Clarke had even finished speaking. "No, this is the only unjammed frequency and we need to keep it open for Bellamy!"

Determination filled her – there was no other way that Clarke could see. "If I leave now then I can warn them about what's coming. I could get there in time – "

"To get blown up," Raven clarified, her voice suggesting she thought Clarke was crazy.

Clarke ignored her. "I think Arian left a horse or two. When we get back, I want to know that our friends are okay and the acid fog has been disabled. Do you think you two can handle that?"

"Yeah, we've got it," Raven assured her.

"Clarke?" Bellamy interrupted. "When I left Octavia was still in Tondc. Is… Is she…"

"She's here, Bellamy, don't worry," Clarke lied, her stomach flipping unpleasantly even as she answered Bellamy unasked question. "Kat's here too. They're both safe."

"Good," Bellamy sighed with relief. "That's good. You be safe too, Clarke."

"I will," Clarke promised, finding it hard to ignore the look that Raven was shooting her at the moment. "Don't look at me like that," Clarke snapped uncomfortably after making sure the radio was off so Bellamy couldn't hear them. "If he knew that his sister was in Tondc, it would just distract him from what he needs to do. Like you said before, our entire plan rests on Bellamy's shoulders, if he fails, we all die."

"I don't like it," Raven began, holding up a hand when Clarke tried to protest again. "But I know that it needs to be done."

Clarke nodded gratefully, hesitating with a reluctant sigh. "You also can't tell Kat." Clarke hurried to explain at the look of alarm on Raven's face. "If Bellamy knew that both Octavia and Kat were in Tondc where they were sending a _missile_…I don't know what he'd do. Probably something stupid and he would end up getting himself caught and killed and all of our friends would also die. _Kat can't know_."

Raven scoffed and crossed her arms. "Yeah, easy for you to say, you won't be here to face her."

Clarke cocked an eyebrow. "No, I'll just be trying to outrace a missile."

"I think I'd rather take the missile," Raven muttered under her breath. "What?" She shrugged at the exasperated look Clarke sent her. "Kat can be pretty freaking intense and scary."

"Stay strong, Raven, I have faith in you," Clarke responded sarcastically, turning to leave.

"Clarke wait." She turned back and was surprised when Raven pulled her into a tight hug. "Be careful. Ride fast." Clarke nodded, hugging her back and giving her a reassuring smile before walking swiftly out of her workplace. She moved quickly towards the spare horses, eyes flickering around the camp for Kat. She wanted to avoid her at all costs and sighed a breath of relief when she was riding on her horse with Camp Jaha fading into the distance.

* * *

**Kat's POV**

"You have a lot of nerve, Katerina Hale," Abby murmured, her voice strained and cracking, her eyes wide. She blinked then, the tension leaving her body as she stepped back a few steps, resting back against the table with a lost expression on her face. "But for the most part…. You're right, I suppose. Clarke has always been headstrong and willing to stand up against someone she thought was wrong."

Kat's lips lifted. "I know. She stood up for me when we were only six years old and some stupid girl took my toy. You and Clarke's father raised her to be this way, raised her to be a leader. So let her do what she was meant to do."

Abby tilted her head to the side, looking at Kat speculatively. "Have you ever told Clarke all this?"

Kat snorted in amusement. "Hell no. I wouldn't want to inflate Blondie's ego any further."

"I'm glad that she has a friend like you," Abby told Kat, now looking slightly defeated. "Promise me that you'll protect her," Abby pleaded instead. "She is all that I have left."

Kat nodded. "You don't have to ask, Abby, I'll do everything I can. Can I go now? I don't want to miss Bellamy radioing in." Abby nodded and Kat turned on her heel immediately, exiting the Ark station and heading towards Raven.

"Hey," she greeted, breezing inside, her eyes sweeping the room, noting the fact that Clarke wasn't here and the radio was silent. "Sorry I'm late. Abby apprehended me while I was saying goodbye to the others and I couldn't get away. Did I miss Bellamy? And where's Clarke?" Kat stopped talking, looking at Raven with a curious frown. "Raven? Why won't you look at me?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'm working, Kat," she replied in exasperation, tinkering with one of the tone generators. "Clarke ordered me to make more of these, you heard her. Bellamy radioed in a little while ago and Clarke is around here somewhere, doing official Clarke things."

Disappointment ran through Kat and she cursed Abby for distracting her. "I can't believe I missed him. How's he doing? What's the situation with our people?"

Raven turned to face her a smile on her face. "He's doing fine, him and Maya are making progress on freeing our people. He sends his love and says he'll check in with you next time he radios in."

Kat's frown deepened at the weird tone in Raven's voice. "He 'sends his love?'" Kat repeated, wrinkling her nose. "That doesn't sound like something Bellamy would say." Her suspicions were confirmed when Raven's face twitched, her smile dropping for a fraction of a second. "What are you trying to hide from me Raven? Tell me. Now."

Raven sighed, dropping the act. "I can't," she grimaced, looking apologetic. "I swore that I wouldn't. But it's being handled so you don't have to worry about it. Clarke's taking care of it."

Kat's eyes narrowed and her frustration grew. "Clarke's not in the camp, is she? Where did she go, Raven? Does this have anything to do with Bellamy? Is he in trouble – don't you shake your head at me, Raven, I have a right to know!"

"I can't – "

Kat's mind raced. "Clarke wouldn't have gone to Mount Weather by herself, especially if the fog hasn't been disabled yet. The only other place she would go is…. Tondc," Kat whispered, looking over at Raven with wide eyes. "What's happening in Tondc?" Raven stayed annoyingly silent and Kat threw her hands up in the air. "Fine. Fine! But I'm not staying in the dark, I'm going there myself to find out what's wrong."

She turned and strode for the door. "Wait!" Raven cried desperately, finally breaking her silence as she leapt out of her chair to grab Kat's arm. "You can't go there, Kat – "

"Why?" Kat snapped, looking at Raven over her shoulder.

Raven closed her mouth, biting her lip uncertainly and Kat made a noise of annoyance, turning to leave yet again. "Alright!" Raven shouted loudly, "Fine. I'll tell you." Kat pivoted, crossing her arms and waiting expectantly. Raven licked her lips and sank back down in her chair. "Bellamy radioed in a little while ago. We were directing him through the airshafts to try and find out which room they were taking our friends and we overheard a conversation between Emerson and Cage. They're not only killing us and using our bone marrow to completely fix their radiation problem, but Cage has a missile and he's going to blow Tondc to smithereens, killing everybody in the span of several seconds."

Kat was stunned, her face slack. "Octavia's in Tondc," Kat whispered, horrified. "And Arian, Kane and the leaders of the twelve clans – "

"Which is why Clarke is riding over there right now!" Raven reassured her soothingly. "She's going to get there in time to evacuate the town and everybody will be safe."

"Okay," Kat nodded slowly, focusing on the floor as she ran through her thought process out loud. "Okay, that's good. They'll evacuate, everybody will be safe and the missile be all be for nothing." She frowned again as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "But… but then what about Mount Weather? What are they going to do? They're going to know that someone tipped them off about the missile and they're going to figure out that we have someone on the inside! They're going to find Bellamy, Raven, they're going to kill him and then they'll kill all our friends!" Horror crossed Raven's face as she realized that Kat was right. "They can't evacuate," Kat said without thinking.

"But that's crazy!" Raven sputtered, eyes wild. "People are going to die, Kat."

"And if Clarke evacuates, Bellamy is going to die! Our friends are going to die!" Kat cried, her mind torn in two different directions. "I have to stop Clarke. I have to warn Octavia and Kane and Arian, maybe I can get them out of there in time – "

"You would let all those people die in order to save Bellamy?" Raven questioned in a strange tone.

Kat paused, looking trouble. "The lengths I would go to in order to save Bellamy scares me," she admitted in an honest voice, before agitation flooded through her again. "But I can't just sit here and do nothing, Raven!" Kat snapped again, adrenaline pumping through her. "I'll be fine, but I have to do this. I'll be back soon." Without waiting for Raven's response, Kat spun on her heel and dashed out, racing towards the horse that Arian had left for her. She untied it and swung herself up into the saddle clumsily, having never ridden a horse before. Trying to remember what the grounders did, Kat picked up the reins. "Alright boy – or girl – easy, now."

She pulled one side of the reins to get the horse to turn and squeezed her heels together, yelping when the horse quickly picked up his speed. "Out of the way!" Kat shouted, bouncing along and waving her hand. "Open the gate! Open the gate!"

Thankfully the guards sprang into action and opened the gates just in time, and Kat was off into the clearing. It took a lot longer than she cared to admit to get used to riding the horse and how to control it, but eventually she got it under control and really took off for Tondc, praying to whatever god was out there that she would make it on time.

Kat's horse was foaming at the mouth by the time she finally reached Tondc, it's sides heaving. She slid off the poor horse, leaving it a safe distance from the town before running towards its entrance. Two guards stood at the gates, barring her way and denying her entry. "Stop, Skaikru."

"You have to let me through," Kat told them quickly, trying not to appear too panicked. "My name is Kat, I need to find Clarke, or Octavia or – Arian!" She called loudly, waving him over as he looked around.

He strode over to them, putting a hand on one of the guards' shoulders and muttering something to them in their language. They reluctantly stepped aside and let Kat through. "What are you doing here Sky Girl?" Ari asked in surprise. "I thought – "

"Have you seen Clarke?" Kat interrupted impatiently, walking into the town, her eyes flickering through the different faces as she searched for the familiar blonde hair. "I need to talk to her."

Ari frowned. "I haven't – "

"I need to find her quickly, we don't have much time – " She abruptly stopped talking as several grounders suddenly started shouting and pointing up at the sky. Kat looked up with wide eyes just in time to see the missile overhead and heading directly towards them. Kat had time to swear under her breath before the missile landed. The houses nearest them blew to pieces, sending Kat flying. She felt several things painfully land on top of her when she crashed to the ground, one of them smashing against her head and sending her spiraling into darkness.

* * *

**Author's Note: So there you have it! Please leave a review to let me know what you think! **

**I have four more chapters planned for season two and then I have decided to write into season 3! As long as you guys continue to show your love and support for this story, I will continue to write it! Plus Kat has found a special spot in my heart and I just can't let her go yet!**

**Until next time :)**

* * *

LMarie99 - Thanks for your review! I'm glad you loved the fighting scene, Kat is pretty badass isn't she? I tried to convey Octavia and Kat's confusion to their own feelings regarding the whole grounder ceremony and I hope it came across! Bellamy and Kat will be reunited soon, I can't wait either!

Jessi L - I'm so glad you love the story, thank you so much for reviewing! I have decided to write on into season 3, partly because of readers like you who make my day with your nice comments :)

Scoobygal - Hey, thank you for reaching out! Yeah, it can be hard to continue on, especially when there's an episode that you don't like or not much happens where your character is! I'm glad that I'm going to continue into season 3 and I'm so happy that you think Kat fits in with the rest of the 100!

Rae - Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked it! You're amazing for reviewing :)

Guest - Thank you! I wish Kat was in the show as well haha. Clarke is beginning to grow on me, but I agree, there are many times where I just don't connect with her as a character, which is probably why her and Kat are always arguing! Bell and Kat got to talk to each other for a quick second in this chapter, hope you liked it!

IHAVEANEEDTOREAD - Here's the update! Hope you enjoyed it!


	14. Closer and Closer

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed my story and to Dannylionthe1st for reading through this for me!**

**I don't have much to say except to read, enjoy and review :)**

* * *

Chapter 14: Closer and Closer

**Octavia's POV**

Wincing, Octavia stumbled to her feet, her ears ringing from the sound of the blast. Feeling incredibly disoriented, she gave her head an irritated shake and looked around with wide eyes. She was bombarded on all sides and it took her a long moment to understand what she was seeing. She could smell the houses that were still standing as they burned, the flames roaring high in the sky. She heard the villagers shouting for help and wailing in pain and she could see bodies sticking out from the rubble. The few people she did see still standing were covered in dirt and blood.

"Octavia," she heard someone murmur, and when she looked around, a huge wave of relief ran through her.

"Lincoln," she sighed, stumbling forward and allowing him to pull her into a tight hug. They gave themselves a few seconds to be grateful for the fact that the other was alive and unharmed before they pulled away. "Have you seen anyone else? Are they alright?"

Lincoln pointed to their right. "Abby and Nyko are over there helping the survivors. I haven't seen anyone else – " He paused. "Arian?" Octavia looked around to see the tall grounder, slowly walking through the village, a lost, dazed expression on his face. She followed Lincoln as he hurried over to his friend, feeling concerned. There was a nasty cut on the side of Arian's head and the blood was flowing from it freely. It took several attempts to capture his attention, and only when Lincoln lightly slapped Arian's cheek a few times did his eyes finally refocus.

"I'm alright," Arian muttered, looking between the two of them and blinking rapidly. Horror crossed his face as something dawned on him and he frantically began looking around.

"What is it?" Octavia asked in concern, watching him spin in a circle and wondering just how hard he had been hit in the head. "We should have Nyko or Abby take a look at you – "

Arian's eyes were wild, and Octavia could see the fear flickering in them. "Kat! I was talking to Kat when everything suddenly exploded – "

Octavia's heart plummeted to the floor even as she shook her head in denial. "No, Kat's safe at Camp Jaha! You were there, you said goodbye to her when we left – "

"She was here, Octavia, I'm telling you I was just talking to her!" Arian shouted over his shoulder as he began to limp through the shattered village, his head snapping from side to side as he searched for Kat.

Octavia and Lincoln jogged along in his wake, trying to keep up with him. Octavia was still trying to comprehend the fact that both Clarke and Kat were here somewhere amidst the rubble. She may have been pissed at Kat before, but suddenly her reasons seemed immature and inconsequential. Arian's fear was suddenly reflected in her own eyes and she could feel the panic clawing at her throat. "Where?" She rasped, stopping Arian in his tracks and making him turn to face her. "Where were you talking to her?"

There was a helpless look on his face as he glanced around, apparently not recognizing his surroundings. "I – I don't know – "

Frustration flashed across Octavia's face and she took a step forward, wanting to physically shake him, but Lincoln could read her very well by now and intervened before she could. "Take a minute and think, Ari," Lincoln told him calmly, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Where was the last place that you saw Kat?"

Ari forced himself to calm down, taking a deep breath. "I saw her…" He frowned as he thought, and after a moment his eyes lit up. "I saw her by the entrance to the village! She was looking for Clarke and she seemed to be in a hurry – Octavia!"

She was off and running before he had even finished speaking, heading for where the entrance to the village used to be. Her eyes darted over the wreckage, moving from body to body and feeling a small dose of relief whenever it wasn't her friend. "Kat!" Octavia shouted frantically, ready to start digging through the rubble by hand. "Can you hear me? Say something, say anything. Damn it, Kat – "

"Octavia, over here!" Lincoln called urgently, having followed her to help search. Octavia hurried toward him, biting back a gasp when she saw what appeared to be a one of the corner posts of a house lying across her chest, pinning her to the floor. There were multiple scratches across her friends unconscious face, but Octavia couldn't see the damage that the beam had caused.

"Oh shit," Octavia swore under her breath, jumping over the beam and falling to her knees beside Kat's head. "You better not be dead Kat."

"Arian!" Lincoln shouted over his shoulder, bending down to grip one side of the beam. "Come over here and help me lift this!" Arian muttered darkly in his own language when he ran to join them, words that Octavia hadn't learned yet, but she was sure they were curses. Both of them gritted their teeth and heaved, struggling to lift the beam.

"Again," Arian grunted, adjusting his grip, his expression fiercely determined. "Lift!" Arms straining, they finally managed to lift the beam high enough and shove it to the side.

Octavia pressed two fingers against Kat's throat, holding her breath as her heart slammed inside her chest. "She's alive," she sighed with relief, shoulders slumping even as her eyes ran over the rest of Kat's body for injuries. "I don't see any obvious injuries," she muttered loud enough for the others to hear. "No broken bones, no gashes – "

"Then why is she still unconscious?" Arian interrupted anxiously, crouching down beside Octavia.

"She could be bleeding internally," Octavia responded, praying that this wasn't the case. Trying to remember what Clarke did during the time that Octavia briefly worked with her in the med bay, Octaiva gently pulled Kat's eyelids up, feeling relieved once more when she saw Kat's pupils were normal. "Time to wake up, Kat," Octavia ordered, leaning over her and gently tapping her cheek. "Wake up." Still nothing. "I swear to god, Kat, if you don't wake up –"

Kat suddenly groaned, wincing as her eyes fluttered opened, blinking several times before focusing on the three worried faces hovering above her. "Stop fucking shouting," Kat muttered, frowning. "Your voice is so fucking loud - "

A wide smile split Octavia's face as she listened to Kat's foul language. Lincolns's eyebrows slowly rose higher with each curse but to Octavia, it was music to her ears and proof that Kat was okay. "Shut up and sit up," Octavia interjected, grabbing one of her hands while Arian grabbed the other.

They began to slowly pull her up, but froze immediately when Kat let out a loud hiss of pain. "Ow, shit," Kat swore again, forcing herself to sit up the rest of the way. She pulled her shirt down a little to reveal a large mottled, dark purple bruise already beginning to form on her chest. "What hit me?"

"Part of a house," Arian told her pointing to the wooden beam, a small smile on his face. Octavia briefly noticed that his hand was still holding hers.

Kat frowned. "Why would - ?" She abruptly stopped talking, her eyes widening as a bloodied man stumbled past them, looking shell-shocked as he cradled his detached arm to his chest. The remaining color that was left in Kat's face fled as she fully took in her surroundings, the fires reflecting in her wide gray eyes. "Oh god…." After only a moment, Kat's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Move, I'm getting up," Kat ordered, her voice shaking with barely restrained fury.

"Maybe you shouldn't – "Ari tried to stop her but Kat waved him away, slowly getting to her feet.

"I'm fine, you all can stop hovering over me," Kat told them, annoyed, as they watched her every move. "I've suffered worse than this and survived."

Octavia looked over her shoulder for Abby. "We should still have Abby look at you just in case – "

Kat ignored her, startling her by grabbing her arms. "What about Clarke? Have you seen her? Is she okay?"

Octavia shook her head. "I haven't seen her – " Gunfire suddenly cracked through the air, making the four of them instinctively drop to the ground as a grounder near them collapsed, clutching his shoulder.

"Move!" Lincoln shouted, putting a hand on Octavia's back and pushing her to cover while Arian pulled Kat along. Kat took quick short breaths, wincing slightly against the pain. Lincoln went to peek over the rubble he had hid behind and but immediately withdrew when a bullet missed his head by inches. "We're pinned down," Lincoln told them in a serious voice. "We're not going to be able to help any survivors if we're cowering in a corner. I'm going to take out the sniper."

"I'm going with you," Octavia immediately responded, moving to go to him.

"Nyko needs you here," Lincoln disagreed, shaking his head.

"I'll go," Ari volunteered, but this time it was Kat who jumped in.

"With Lexa missing, your people are going to be looking to you," she told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You should stay, organize the search and rescue teams or whatever. I'll go with Lincoln, I'm better use out there than I am here."

Arian looked at her with disapproval. "Kat – "

She ignored him. "I'll see you when we get back," she promised, looking at Octavia once more before turning and jogging off after Lincoln, both of them crouched low to the ground. Octavia held her breath, watching as they paused until the sniper was distracted by someone else before sprinting into the forest and disappearing. She forced them both from her mind, turning instead to Arian and focusing on how they were going to get out of this mess.

* * *

**Kat's POV**

Kat was sick to her stomach. Not in a slightly nauseous way either, but in a burning, roiling, angry way that made her want to kill someone, preferably the sniper who was continuing to kill innocent survivors even after bombing the entire village. She couldn't ever remember feeling so furious in her entire life and the injustice of it all made her grind her teeth together.

She followed a determined Lincoln as he sprinted through the dark forest, appreciating the fact that he was the silent type and that he wasn't worrying about how she was feeling. She tried to ignore the terrible feeling in her chest, focusing instead on running and not tripping over branches or roots. She was so focused on the task at hand that she didn't see Lincoln hold up his hand for her to slow down until she almost ran into him.

Lincoln pointed to his ear when she sent him a curious glance, and she nodded, listening. From the sound of the crunching leaves, they could hear someone approaching them and it obviously wasn't the sniper because they could still hear the shots echoing through the forest.

"Lincoln?" They heard a familiar voice question incredulously.

Kat peered over Lincoln's shoulder, drawing Clarke's gaze. "What are you doing here?" They both asked at the same time.

"Clarke? Commander?" Lincoln asked, sounding half relieved when he saw her stepping out from behind the tree. "You're alright! But how – Octavia said you were both – "

"You've seen Octavia?" Clarke interrupted urgently.

"Yeah, there's a few of us that survived, but they're being pinned down by a sniper."

Lexa looked like she was warring with herself while Lincoln was speaking, and seemed to lose the battle against herself, stepping forward next to Clarke. "What about Arian? Did you see my brother?"

Kat resisted the urge to cross her arms. "He's fine. A little banged up, but fine." Kat was mollified to see that Lexa at least looked relieved at the news.

Another shot rang through the forest and they all fell silent. "Come on," Lexa muttered, looking grim. "We need to get to higher ground."

Lincoln followed after his commander immediately but Clarke hung back with Kat. "What in the hell are you doing here?" She hissed angrily, eyes narrowed. "Raven was supposed to – "

"Lie to me?" Kat interjected in a hushed whisper, shooting her a look. "Ignore me? Tie me to a chair so I wouldn't leave camp?"

"It wasn't safe, Kat," Clarke argued back in a low voice. "If Bellamy knew where you were right now, the entire mission would be compromised - "

Kat was so tired of hearing this and her response was somewhat snippy. "You're starting to sound like your mother Clarke, you can't tell me what's safe for me and what isn't. And I'm not going to base all my decisions around how Bellamy might react. I need you to let me help, okay?"

"Okay," Clarke agreed somewhat impatiently. She paused, thinking. "Why were you coming to Tondc anyway?"

"To look for you, obviously," Kat shrugged, feeling distracted. Half her attention was on Lexa who kept turning around to give them suspicious glances. What was her problem?

"Why?" Clarke pressed insistently, drawing Kat's gaze once more to see that her friend was searching her face and watching her every move.

Kat dropped her voice even lower, conscious of Lexa trying to listen in. "I didn't really have a plan," she admitted, that feeling in her chest growing worse as she thought about it. "But I figured it out, Clarke. I know everything – " She abruptly stopped talking as Lexa abandoned all pretenses and slowed down to speak to Clarke. Kat ignored Clarke's anxious look, raising an eyebrow at Lexa before picking up her pace and leading with Lincoln.

Kat still wasn't sure how she felt about Lexa. On the one hand she was grateful for all of Lexa's help and with the alliance, but on the other hand, Kat felt extremely weird about the way Lexa looked at Clarke sometimes. Kat could count the number of people that she trusted on one hand – Kat couldn't even get a proper read on Lexa, so she didn't trust her as far as she could throw her.

She could hear the two of them whispering heatedly behind her and tried not to wonder what they were talking about. She tried to focus on counting her steps but every so often she could sense Lincoln glancing at her out of the corner of her eye. Kat was almost reaching her breaking point. Fed up, Kat threw up her hands and rolled her eyes. "What is it with you people today?" She asked, struggling to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "Is there something on my face? Are you worried that I'm so injured that I'm going to faint and fall over? Am I – "

"I'm sorry," Lincoln interrupted, murmuring quietly.

Kat's steps faltered, her eyes widening as she turned to stare at Lincoln's serious face in surprise. "Sorry?" Kat repeated, mystified. "For what?"

Lincoln's jaw clenched, and he didn't seem to want to meet her gaze. "It's my fault, Kat," he confessed, sounding anguished, fingers curling into fists. "Our plan failed because of me and Bellamy was captured. All because I was too weak!" He spat in self-disgust. "Who knows what they did to him in there – "

"Well we know what probably happened, don't we?" Kat asked with an edge to her voice, going with the first words and emotions that came into her head following Lincoln's confession. It was like her first instinct was to lash out at anyone who hurt Bellamy. "He wasn't turned into a reaper so they probably put him with the other grounders to be drained of their blood." Kat saw Lincoln flinch at her bluntness and she felt the anger drain out of her. "Look, Lincoln, Bellamy is fine, I've talked to him myself. He didn't share what happened to him in there yet, but I don't think any of what happened is your – "

"Don't," he hissed, eyes flashing in her direction. "Don't say that it isn't my fault! I had a choice, Kat. I chose to go against the plan. I chose to accept the Red drug and leave Bellamy by himself."

"Maybe it is your fault," Kat shrugged, not knowing what the fuck she was supposed to say in this situation. "Maybe I would be attempting to kill you if something had happened to Bellamy. All those are hypotheticals though, and you can't live that way. I won't tell you that it isn't your fault, because I of all people know that won't do anything to help you." Kat shot him a sidelong glance. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Lincoln shook his head, his expression tortured. "I would like to not even think about it but it never seems to go away. I wouldn't wish this on anyone," he muttered softly, as if he was speaking to himself.

Kat shoved her hands in her pockets as they fell silent, officially at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say to make him feel better – it definitely wasn't her strong suit. She was more of a 'slap you in the face and yell at you' kind of person rather than a 'let's sit down and talk about your feelings' kind of person.

Lincoln didn't broach the subject again, and Kat was left to her own thoughts, still trying to contain the rage she felt towards Mount Weather and now pondering what Bellamy could have possibly gone through before somehow freeing himself. Her thoughts just kept spinning in circles, growing darker as each minute passed, and by the time the sun came up and they made it to the top of the mountain, Kat decided her own head was a terrifying place.

Lincoln and Lexa shared a glance when they got close to a sniper, and Lexa took the lead, cautiously leading them forward. A shot suddenly rang out, clipping the large rock that they quickly ducked behind. Lexa swore. "So much for the element of surprise," she muttered grimly.

"I'll draw their fire – " Lincoln tried, but Clarke interrupted before he could.

"No," Clarke announced, eyes blazing. "I will." And before anyone could protest, Clarke stepped out from behind the rock, pulled out a gun and started shooting, a look of cold fury on her face.

Lexa signaled to Lincoln who slipped out around the other side to sneak up on the other side of the sniper. Eventually Clarke ran out of bullets and came back, panting. Kat peered around the rock when she heard the sound of metal on metal and saw Lincoln fighting the sniper by himself. She moved to go help him but Lexa grabbed her arm, shaking her head. "Don't get in the way," she ordered.

"You are not my commander, Lexa," Kat snarled in frustration, ripping her arm free and springing out from behind the rock to assist Lincoln. She pulled her sword free and ran across the small clearing just as Lincoln went to stab the sniper in the heart, but before he could, the sniper pulled out a tone generator and turned it on. "No!" Kat shouted, too far away. The sniper easily snatched the knife from Lincoln, holding him against him with the knife pressed to his throat.

"Stop right where you are!" The sniper commanded, eyes on Kat. Kat skidded to a halt, eyes narrowed, her hands held out to the sides. "Drop your weapon. Now!" He shouted when Kat hesitated, pressing the knife into Lincoln's neck and drawing blood.

"Alright, alright!" Kat agreed quickly, showing him the sword as she slowly lowered it and took a step back. "Just let him go."

He ignored her. "You too! Drop your weapon!" The sniped shouted again, and Kat turned to see Clarke and Lexa moving out into the open. Clarke had her gun firmly in her hand, an absolutely murderous look on her face that Kat could honestly say she had never seen on her before.

"Just let him kill me," Lincoln rasped, trying to struggle against the sniper without injuring himself further. "Then you can take him out."

"That is _not_ happening," Kat interrupted, trying to catch Clarke's eye and failing. She really didn't like the look on Clarke's face or the way that her eyes hadn't moved an inch for the sniper. Kat's heart sped up even further as her anxiety kicked in. What exactly was wrong with Clarke and what was she planning?

"Clarke!" Lincoln yelled, eyes pleading. "Your people need you!"

"You are my people," Clarke responded in a creepy, emotionless voice before shocking Kat and pulling the trigger. Eyes wide, Kat's head snapped around as if in slow motion, watching with her mouth open as Clarke shot Lincoln through his left shoulder so that the bullet went through him to hit the sniper in the heart. Lincoln grunted in pain, dropping to his knees as the sniper fell backwards, dead.

"Fuck, Clarke!" Kat snapped, rushing to Lincoln's side and helping him put pressure on the wound. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Good shot," Lincoln muttered, looking impressed.

Kat glared at him too. "That was a lucky shot," she corrected angrily. "You've been using a gun for what, a month now? That was stupid and dangerous – " She stopped abruptly when she looked back over her shoulder to see the terrifying look on Clarke's face gone, and a tear trickled down her cheek instead.

"Do you feel better now?" They heard Lexa ask her quietly.

"No," Clarke answered, and Kat could hear the depth of her emotions in just that one word. Deciding to drop the topic for now, Kat focused on bandaging Lincoln's wound, thanking whatever god was out there that Lincoln was okay. She didn't think Octavia would ever forgive any of them if something had happened to him.

Kat felt Lincoln put a hand over hers where she had paused tying the bandage and she looked around at him. "I'm alright," he reassured her with a small smile. "We should get back," he announced in a louder voice so the other two could hear him. His eyes were on Lexa, his expression sad. "They're going to need everybody's assistance back at the village."

Lexa tried to keep her expression clear, but Kat thought she could see a flicker of something cross her face. Was it guilt? Shame? Fear, even? Whatever it was, Kat had a feeling that Lexa wasn't as unaffected as she pretended to be.

Lincoln stood as Kat went to retrieve her sword. "After you, Commander," Kat told her politely, gesturing her forward with her hand when she saw the other girl hesitating with a glance at Clarke. Lexa's eyes narrowed infinitesimally but she swept passed Kat with her chin held high, leading the way with Lincoln.

"Did you notice anything in particular about the sniper?" Kat asked quietly as she and Clarke began to follow them. Clarke still had this depressed, shattered look on her face that Kat didn't care for. "He wasn't wearing a radiation suit, Clarke. Which means that – "

"The treatments are working," Clarke answered, her voice heavy. "I know. I noticed it too."

"What were you supposed to do, Clarke?" Kat questioned aggressively, abruptly changing the subject to what was bothering both of them. "You made a decision, just like when the hundreds of grounders came to attack us. People lost their lives and that's a horrible, terrible thing, but you weren't the one who launched that missile – "

"But I could have saved some of those lives," Clarke argued, the fire igniting in her eyes. "I made the wrong decision this time, Kat, and I'm going to have to live with it for the rest of my life. And besides," she argued, turning to glare at Kat. "The only reason that you're not more upset is because Octavia is still alive and what I did protects Bellamy. If I'm a terrible person for what I did, then what kind of person does that make you if you're okay with it?"

Clarke somehow zeroed in on exactly what was bothering Kat, on the guilt and turmoil that was running rampant through her body. "Am I relieved that Bellamy is still safe for the moment? Yes! Do I absolutely hate the fact that I'm happy one person is still alive while hundreds of others died? Yes! I'm confused, Clarke, I don't even understand half of what I'm feeling but I do know that we shouldn't have to be dealing with any of this shit!" She cried, throwing up her hands. "Deciding who lives and who dies is not something we should have to consider. And I don't really know how to move on from it. I don't know how to live with the decisions that we have to make other than to accept the darker sides of you and continuing to do whatever is necessary to protect the people you care about. We're all doing the best we can," Kat whispered, staring down at the ground.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I can feel myself changing, Kat," Clarke told her in despair, tears filling her eyes once more. "And I don't think I like the person I'm becoming."

"Being on the ground is changing all of us, Clarke," Kat reassured her, her voice grave. "We do whatever we have to in order to survive and if we stop doing that then we're all going to die." Kat hesitated before continuing on. "The only reason I'm saying this next bit is because you look like you're about to go into a downward spiral. But I'm behind you Clarke, I know what the weight of our people on your shoulders has done to you and I support you. In most things," she added after a moment. "You tried to be my friend when we were younger, you pulled me from the darkness and helped me find Bellamy again and you've saved my life and everyone else's life multiple times. We need you, Clarke."

Clarke nodded, blinking away the tears and seeming to remember who she was and they situation they were in. "Thanks, Kat. Even though I have to admit that I'm shocked to hear you say something like that, I appreciate it." Clarke eyed her speculatively. "You've changed too, Kat, and while you're still a terrifying badass I feel like the ground has somehow changed you for the better. Or maybe it's been Bellamy all along," she murmured thoughtfully.

"Can we be done with conversation now?" Kat huffed, complaining. "Can we focus instead on how exactly we're going to make these fuckers pay for what they've done?"

Clarke's expression darkened. "I want them all dead," she announced, that crazed look coming back into her eyes.

Kat blinked at the hostility. "But.. Didn't you hear Bellamy before? There are children inside that mountain, Clarke. Innocent children who had nothing to do with the attack on that village. We have to focus on the leaders, on Emerson and Cage and President Wallace – "

Kat saw a flicker of something cross Clarke's face but it was gone before she could figure out what it was. "We won't know what we're dealing with until Bellamy turns off the acid fog and we bust through the doors." Concerned, Kat made to interrupt but Clarke overrode her. "We'll come up with a solid plan, Kat. Lexa, the other clan leaders and myself will do everything we can to make sure we don't lose any innocent lives. We'll do the best we can," she repeated, as if to convince herself of the words. "We're going to win this war. We have no other choice."

A truer fact had never been said and it was one that everyone else seemed to realize as well. The village was in absolute ruins when they finally made it back hours later. The fires had died down at least, but the wounded and dead littered the ground. The four of them walked slowly through the village, their expressions ranging from solemn to furious as they reached where the most people gathered. Kat's eyes flicked around and she was relieved to see that Octavia was uninjured by the sniper. Arian was alright too, helping an injured friend to see Nyko. He winked at her when they made eye contact and she couldn't help but smile back.

Octavia was putting a red blanket on top of Kane, who was lying on a stretcher, filthy and barely moving. Abby looked just as dirty but at least she was up walking around. Octavia turned in that moment, an involuntary noise coming from her throat when she saw Lincoln and both of them rushed toward each other embracing as Octavia pulled him down for a passionate kiss.

Kat looked away, blinking as her throat burned, missing Bellamy more than ever. In an effort to distract herself, she headed to Kane's side, crouching by his head. "You good?" She asked, a little taken back by the genuine concern that she felt for him.

The corner of his lips wearily lifted as if he knew what she was thinking. "Good," he murmured, nodding his head slightly and wincing. "You?"

She nodded in return, hesitating before placing her hand on his shoulder for a moment. She stood as the survivors around them began to chant 'heda' and they all looked around as Lexa and Clarke stood at the top of a ditch that used to be a building. Lexa raised her hand for silence, her face proud and determined. "What happened here will not stand," Lexa cried in a loud voice, growing with each word. "The mountain will fall. THE DEAD WILL BE AVENGED!"

Kat looked around as the surviving grounders shouted and cheered along with her and had to grudgingly admit that the girl knew how to inspire her people.

"Enough!" An irritated Abby interrupted, shouting to be heard over them all. "There are still people in the wreckage, people that need to be saved. Go to work!" The grounders scrambled to follow her order. Abby sent a look to Clarke, one that was filled with an incredible amount of tension but there was no time to question what it was about.

All able bodies were gathering their gear and their weapons and less than half an hour later, they were marching to war. Kat had her sword strapped across her back, Octavia on one side of her and Clarke on the other as they followed the Commander through the forest. She could feel her heart beating in her chest, the strength of her muscles as she took each step, bringing her closer and closer the mountain and to Bellamy.

Their march to war didn't last very long. Kat soon found herself camped in front of a fire that night, feeling more than restless and anxious to keep moving. They couldn't, however, not until the acid fog has been neutralized and Bellamy hadn't accomplished his goal yet. Kat's mind raced, wondering what was taking so long. Was he hurt? Had he gotten caught? Did he have to go into hiding because they figured out there was an intruder? _Come on Bellamy,_ Kat found herself thinking fervently. _You can do this._

Sighing once more, Kat glanced over her shoulder at the Commanders tent. Clarke had been holed up in there ever since they stopped, going over the plan with Lexa again and again. Octavia, meanwhile, was sitting directly across from her, but she was acting very odd. The more time that passed, the more silent she became, a pissed off look on her face as she stared into the flames. Kat had given up trying to make conversation with her a while ago, and it wasn't until Clarke finally emerged from the tent that she learned what was bothering her.

Clarke spotted them as she exited and made her way over, pausing to look between the two of them with a frown, picking up on the tension. "Everything okay?" She asked hesitantly.

Kat made to shrug uncertainly, but Octavia spoke up, her eyes still trained on the dancing flames. "I've been going over and over it in my head, just trying to figure out how you're still alive," she answered, an edge to her voice.

Clarke shared a quick, alarmed glance with Kat. "What are you talking about?" She asked Octavia, pretending not to know.

Octavia finally looked up at Clarke, her eyes blazing. "I saw you in Tondc before the missile hit. I know you, Clarke, something was wrong. And then you and Lexa disappear and just _happen _to survive? Tell me," she demanded. "Tell me you didn't know it was coming."

Clarke couldn't do that so she just stayed silent. Kat didn't like how worked up Octavia was getting. "Octavia – " she tried, but instead all she did was bring Octavia's wrath down upon her.

"And _you_," she spat, eyes narrowed. "You knew too, didn't you? I talked to Ari, he said that you came running to the village in a panic, looking for Clarke. I can't believe the two of you let all of those people die! You were going to let me die!"

Kat was shaking her head, her heart pounding as the guilt nearly overwhelmed her once more. "No Octavia, that's not how it happened – "

"I did it to save Bellamy," Clarke interrupted, trying to make her understand. "If we had evacuated Tondc, the Mountain Men would have realized that someone tipped them off!"

Octavia sprang to her feet, rounding on Kat once more. "And you were okay with this? Letting all those people die?"

Kat hastily stood as well, feeling incredibly caught off balance. "Of course not!" Kat cried defensively. "Neither of us are okay with this O! But – but Bellamy was in trouble and I – "

"That does not make this okay, Kat!" Octavia snarled, shoving a finger in her face. "Bellamy wouldn't have wanted this, he would have found another way!"

Clarke's face hardened. "I couldn't take that risk."

Octavia's fury grew in response, whipping around her. And this time, Kat knew she had no response, no excuse. Her relief at Bellamy being safe despite hundreds of people dying was despicable and she knew it. It was yet another thing that made her a terrible person. "Because you decide who lives and who dies, right?" She spat, shaking her head. "You two would have fit right in on the council."

Clarke's face flashed with hurt, but she held up a hand before Octavia could storm away. "You can't tell anyone Octavia."

Octavia rolled her eyes. "Because if anyone found out it would break the alliance. I'm not an idiot, Clarke." This time Octavia did storm way, taking care to knock both their shoulders as she did so. Kat and Clarke turned to watch her go, only to stop short as they realized the Commander was standing right there. _How much had she overheard?_ "Commander," Octavia greeted, attempting to be respectful even though the anger was still evident in her voice.

"Octavia," Lexa nodded back, face a blank mask.

"It is time for the southernmost guard post rotation. You should relieve them," Ryder, one of Lexa's warriors, ordered.

Octavia frowned. "Indra expects me to be on a scouting mission with Lincoln."

"And now you're expected to be at your post. Indra will meet you there shortly."

Octavia hesitated before realizing she couldn't argue and just nodded, walking away. Clarke moved closer to Lexa but Kat could still hear what they were saying. "She won't say anything," Clarke told her insistently.

"You can't know that," Lexa dismissed, still watching Octavia walk away. "Too many people know."

Clarke shot her a glare. "You worry about your people and I'll worry about mine." Clarke grabbed Kat's arm and pulled her away. Kat turned back around after they've walked a short distance and saw Lexa mutter something to Ryder. Kat knew one thing for sure. She did not like the look on Lexa's face.

* * *

**Bellamy's POV**

"Raven, come in," Bellamy panted, pressing the button on his earpiece so she could hear him. "I made it." _Barely_, he added in his head. _Finally. _"I hope you have a plan."

"We're working on it," Raven told him, answering at once. "Give us something to go on – what do you see?"

Bellamy looked around the large room, not quite sure what he was seeing. "Uh, a huge steel vat that looks a bit like a submarine. Some other tanks, all with chemical formulas and warning labels. A bunch of pipes that disappear into the wall, a monitor – "

"Ooh, go to the monitor," an unfamiliar male voice said.

"Hello to you too," Bellamy muttered, but doing as he said.

"Don't mind Wick," Raven said, sounding mildly annoyed. "He's not really helping."

"Hey Bellamy," Wick greeted. "How's my boy Monty doing?"

"Fine, for the time being." He hesitated, warring with himself for a moment and losing the battle. "How are Octavia and Kat?"

"I'm sure they're fine," Wick answered reassuringly. "They don't have a radio with them so we can't be positive but – "

"What?" Bellamy interrupted, stopping short, panic and confusion flooding his system. "Why do they need a radio? Where are they?"

"They're in – " Wick was cut off as he guessed Raven wrestled him for the radio. He heard a sharp yelp of pain before Raven spoke up, her voice cheery.

"Don't mind Wick," she said again, trying to get Bellamy to focus on the task at hand. "Octavia and Kat are fine. Now tell me about this monitor – "

"Raven," Bellamy interjected, trying desperately to keep calm despite the anger and adrenaline pumping through him. "Tell me what's happening. Now."

Raven sighed, then spoke quickly as if getting it all out at once would curb his fury. "Octavia is in Tondc with Lincoln and Kane. When Clarke heard what was happening she rode over there to try and evacuate before the missile hit and when Kat found out – I tried to keep her here, Bellamy, but you know how she is and – "

"They're in Tondc?" Bellamy interrupted, his voice nothing more than a croak. "The one that was just blown to smithereens?" The anger was causing his voice to grow louder. "You two lied to me! You said they were safe! I can't believe this is happening," he muttered, pacing restlessly as he desperately tried to think, gripping the sides of his head. "Someone needs to go check on Tondc. They could have gotten out, or maybe they're injured or – or – " He broke off as the possibility nearly brought him to his knees. "Raven – " he choked, swaying.

"Listen to me Bellamy," Raven interrupted in a stern voice. "This is exactly why we lied to you, because you need to focus on disabling the acid fog! I don't know what's happened to Kat and Octavia," she murmured, and Bellamy could hear the sadness and concern in her voice. "But I do know that there is an army of grounders counting on you and me to finish this. Are you with me?"

Bellamy took a deep breath, struggling to control himself. "Yeah. Yeah I'm with you."

* * *

**Kat's POV**

"What the hell?" Kat exclaimed in alarm, jumping up from her seat by the fading fire as sometime later Clarke came walking out of the forest with a gun pressed to Ryder's back, a dark look on her face. "Clarke! What – "

"I saw Indra earlier," Clarke explained, still marching towards the tent. Kat had to jog to catch up. "She wasn't on guard duty and thought Octavia was scouting with Lincoln. I caught _him_ just before he put an arrow through Octavia."

"What?" Kat snapped, aghast. "Lexa put a kill order on Octavia? I shouldn't be surprised, that stupid bitch – "

"I'm handling it, Kat," Clarke snapped, her own anger rising as they neared Lexa's tent. "I'll talk to her. Stay here."

Grinding her teeth in frustration, Kat stopped short of the tent as they both disappeared inside. She took up pacing just in front of it, listening to their raised voices. Eventually Ryder came striding back out of the tent, giving her a dirty look. She stepped in front of him before he could pass her and glared at him, her voice dropping to a dangerously low level. "If you harm even one single hair on Octavia's head, I'll kill you," she warned.

He raised an eyebrow as he stared at her. "I know you, Kat of the Sky People. And I'm not afraid of you."

"Maybe you should be," Kat murmured, giving him one last, long glance before moving aside and letting him pass.

She continued to pace once he was gone, growing more and more agitated with each minute that passed. What the hell were the two of them talking about in there? "Any reason you are trying to wear a path through the grass?" Arian asked, watching her in amusement with his arms crossed.

She glanced at him in annoyance. "Your darling commander just tried to have Octavia killed," Kat told him, the sarcasm heavy in her voice. "Clarke is in there now trying to talk her out of it."

She was glad to see some of the amusement leave his face. "Because she knows that Clarke and Lexa knew about the missile and did nothing?"

That stopped her. "You knew?" She asked incredulously.

"She's my sister," Ari shrugged. "I know how her mind works – "

"And you don't care that she left you there to die?" Kat asked, hissing in an attempt to be quiet.

"Lexa is ruthless, Sky Girl," Ari informed her. "She is the best commander that our people has ever seen, and she knew what was best for the mission and the war. I trust that she knows what she is doing."

"I don't," Kat spat. "I don't trust her at all, especially since she has no qualms about killing people that she herself doesn't trust. Fuck!" She snapped suddenly, throwing up her hands. "What the hell are they talking about in there? What's taking so long?"

"Are you quite sure they are talking?" Arian asked, a smirk on his face. "It is awfully…. Quiet."

Kat frowned at him. "What else would they be doing?" She asked, oblivious.

"Haven't you picked up on the nearly tangible tension between them?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's the talk of the camp. I have not seen my sister look at anyone like she looks at your Clarke in a very long time."

"Tension?" Kat repeated, frown deepening. "Well yeah, but – " Her brain suddenly clicked, her eyes widening and her mouth dropping open. "You think – Clarke and _Lexa_?" She made a face. "Clarke can do so much better than – "

"A beautiful, powerful and great leader?" Ari interjected, his smirk growing now.

"No," Kat shook her head resolutely. "There's nothing going on between the two of them. Clarke can do so much better than _Lexa_. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go make sure Clarke is properly telling her what's what."

And with that, Kat strode into the tent to find… Clarke and Lexa making out. She stood there for half a second, watching in disbelief, until she felt like a huge creep. "Damn it, Clarke!" Kat exploded, causing Clarke to quickly pull away from Lexa and whirl around. "You're supposed to be yelling at her because she just tried to have our friend killed, not sucking face with her!"

"Kat – " Clarke tried to interrupt, but Kat was on a roll.

"I mean really, Blondie – Lexa? Seriously – "

Clarke passed a hand over her face. "I thought I told you to wait outside."

"And I was! But you were taking forever and now I know why – "

"Give me a minute, Kat," Clarke snapped, her voice loud. "Please."

Kat's mouth dropped open. "But – "

"Octavia has nothing to fear from me," Lexa interrupted, watching her with her unsettling eyes. "I promise."

Kat glared at her for another moment before walking out the tent her back stiff. Ari still stood outside, a grin on his face. "Shut up," she muttered before he could even speak. He followed her in silence back to the fires, still grinning, as the sun began to show in the sky.

"Kat," he murmured, awe in his voice. "Kat, look!"

She turned to see what he was looking at, and saw a bright red flare, streaking across the sky, one that made her knees so weak that she stumbled slightly, barely registering Ari's steadying hand on her arm. He did it. Bellamy disabled the acid fog.

Pride and happiness surged through her, excitement quickly spreading through the camp as the grounders spotted the flare and took up the cry. Lexa and Clarke hurried out of the tent, and when Lexa gave the order to sound the horn to advance, the noise was almost deafening and the grounders raised the weapons and shouted. Now they were truly able to march on the mountain. Now they would finally be able to free their friends.

* * *

**Author's Note: So I don't know if some of you noticed, but I combined two episodes into this one chapter again, so that means that there's only two chapters left of season 2! I already have them all planned out and I think there will be a few twists in there that some of you won't see coming!**

**As always, it means so much to me to see your kind and thoughtful reviews. You guys are the best!**

Guest 1 – Thanks for your review! I hope you're just as excited to read this one!

Marta – Don't apologize, I love that I have readers from Poland! Thank you for reviewing. I wish that Kat was part of the 100 too!

Guest 2 – Thank you! Hope you love this one too!

LMarie99 – Haha, thanks for the review! As you can see, both Kat and Ari are just fine… for now!

Rae – Your welcome! Thanks for reviewing!

Guest 3 – Don't worry, Kat's okay! Doesn't mean that drama isn't stirred up lol. Thanks for your review!

Guest 4 – Thank you! Here's the next one!

aSimpleHedgehog – Thank you so much! It means the world that you think Kat is so well integrated into the show, that's always my main focus! As for your note about season 3 I can totally understand where you're coming from. I'm slowly gathering ideas but haven't really sat down to plan it out and probably won't until this story's finished.

Guest 5 – Thank you! Surprisingly I've found that Kat and Raven is more difficult to write than Kat and Octavia! I'm glad you liked it though!

Guest 6 – Thanks for your review! Here it is.

Ladyfinwe – Thanks :) Here's the next update!

Jack33 – I'm honored that you binge read these stories! Thank for your taking the time to review. I hope you like this chapter just as much!


	15. Pain

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Here's the first part of the season two finale! I hope you enjoy it. There's a twist at the end that I hope no one was able to see coming :)**

**Special thanks for Dannylionthe1st for helping me out with this!**

**Read, enjoy and review!**

* * *

**Chapter 15:** Pain

"You can't be serious!" Kat cried, gaping at the blonde. "Clarke, you can't send me to the dam! By the time you guys open the doors, I'll be too far away to help rescue our friends! And we haven't heard from Bellamy since he disabled the acid fog. If something's wrong I want to be there - "

Clarke braced her hands against the table above the 3-D map that her and Lexa had created, her blue eyes unyielding as she used a calm voice to talk to Kat. Lexa stood a little to the right, watching them both with unwavering eyes as she listened to them argue. "There are only four teams, Kat. Bellamy and the grounder army under Mount Weather are unreachable until we open the doors. Indra and Octavia are going into the reaper tunnels to help the prisoners out and the rest of us will be outside the front doors distracting the Mountain Men. We don't need you with any of those teams, they have it covered. Raven and her team will have help from the grounders to help get them inside but they could use the extra protection while they're working. They are the most important part of the plan, Kat. If they can't blow the power, we can't open the doors and save our people." When Kat still looked unconvinced, Clarke narrowed her eyes and hardened her voice. "This is a rescue mission, Kat. This is about more than just you and Bellamy."

"Don't you think I know that?" Kat snapped, running an agitated hand through her hair. "I want to rescue our friends and the other grounders from Mount Weather, so of course I'm going to go help Raven and her team. But it's not going to stop me from hating the fact that I'm going to miss all the action and the fact that you're the one giving the order."

Clarke sighed. "I know you have a general aversion to authority, Kat, but you were the one who said that you were behind me. I need your support in this so we can defeat Mount Weather. Everybody has a part that they need to play in order for this to work."

Shoulders slumping with defeat, Kat slowly nodded, knowing that she was right and that this wasn't the time to question her orders. "Alright," she conceded reluctantly. "Alright… I'm behind you, Clarke. I'll leave to go meet Raven."

"Thank you," Clarke murmured gratefully, looking relieved.

Lexa stepped up to speak as Kat reached for her sword that was leaning against the table and strapped it across her back. "I'm sending three of my best archers with you as well as a small force of twenty men. They will guide you to Raven and help you take the dam."

Clarke came around the table and pulled Kat into a tight hug despite the annoyed face her friend made. "Be safe," Clarke murmured, trying to hide her worry and nerves. "And good luck."

Kat bit back a sigh, gently patting her on the back. "You too. I'll hurry back as quick as I can once Raven blows the power."

Things moved very quickly after that. Lexa introduced her to the three archers that would be escorting her, but she was so focused on the mission at hand that she forgot their names as soon as she heard them. She had tried to look for Octavia and Ari to say goodbye but Octavia had been avoiding her ever since she found out that Kat knew about the missile and Ari was off prepping the warriors that were going to be under his command. Pushing away her worry for them, Kat tightened the strap of her sword and set off after her escorts.

They lead her around Mount Weather, following the river further up the mountain until they came to the dam. Kat vaguely recognized the dam from when she, Clarke and Anya had jumped from the top after escaping Mount Weather through the reaper tunnels. She couldn't really blame herself for not knowing where she was – she had been tranquilized at the time and running for her life.

As they got closer to the dam, they saw two figures standing in the lining of the trees, each with a pack on their back. One of the grounders, the tallest one immediately reached for his sword at the sight of them but Kat quickly grabbed his wrist. "Whoa, hold on. They're with us."

"Kat," Raven greeted with a smile, putting her knife away. She had automatically reacted at the sight of the grounders as well, and hadn't even noticed Kat standing there. Raven strode up to her and pulled her into a quick hug. "I'm glad you didn't blow up. Bellamy nearly had a conniption when he found out you were in Tondc. If something had happened to you I don't know what he would have done."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Kat assured her, pulling away. "Just a couple of scrapes and bruises." Eager to get this mission started, she turned to her grounder escorts. "So what's the plan?" She asked, looking between them and rubbing her hands together.

The tallest one, the leader of this small group, said something to her in his own language before laughing with the others. He held up a hand, indicating them to stay where they were and jogged off. His men separated into three different groups, weapons drawn and ready as they left to take the dam. "Right," Kat nodded, watching them leave. "I thought they were just quiet on the way here, but apparently they don't even speak English. Something our fearless Commander probably didn't think about." She fell silent and became truly aware of all her restless nerves. Her body was nearly flooded with adrenaline and the fact that she was just standing here, waiting, wasn't helping. Trying to distract herself, her eyes flickered to the man standing behind Raven, looking lost in thought. He hadn't said a word since she'd gotten here. "Hi," Kat greeted, sticking out her hand. Her eyes flickering to Raven as she wondered why she hadn't introduced them. "I'm Kat."

The man examined her hand as if in surprise while Raven gave a slightly uncomfortable chuckle. "Oh right! Kat this is Kyle Wick, Wick this is Kat."

"It's nice to meet you," Wick said with a polite smile, shaking her offered hand. "So you're the crazy girl that ran _toward_ the village that was about to get blown up?"

"That would be me," Kat nodded, sobering slightly at the reminder of all those people who had died in the explosion. "Were you the one that helped Raven with the acid fog and the bombs?"

Wick glanced at Raven who studiously seemed to be avoiding his gaze. "Yeah," he answered after a moment. "Yeah, that's me. Just doing everything I can to help out."

Kat, even with her social ineptitude, could pick up on the strange tension between the two of them. Kat sent Raven a curious look but she just gave her head a small shake. "You don't look smart enough to be an engineer," Kat blurted without thinking, feeling the awkward silence getting to her. Raven snorted at her comment and Kat's eyes widened. "I'm sorry… that was rude. It's just, you don't look nerdy – not that you do, Raven! I – just…" she trailed off, grimacing. "I'm going to stop talking now."

Raven grinned, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Don't mind Kat," she told Wick, holding back a small laugh. "She's been locked away for the past four years and sometimes forgets everything associated with social interaction."

"Oh thank god," Kat muttered, shrugging off Raven's arm as the three archers came jogging back to them. "I'm assuming the job is done?" She asked, looking to the taller one. He gestured over his shoulder and spouted some more nonsense in a language that she didn't understand. "Right. Lead the way," she gestured, pointing. "Ready?" She asked Raven and Wick quietly, pulling her sword out of it's sheath. They nodded, serious expressions coming over their faces as their plan was finally being put into action.

The grounders led the way to the doors of the dam. If Kat looked hard enough, she could see the rest of the grounder force surrounding the dam, ready to stop any Mount Weather guards that might appear. Kat tried not to look too closely at the guards that were lying in a pool of their own blood with an arrow sticking out of them, tried not to notice the spatter of blood on the inside of their protective masks. She did notice, however, the pale, alarmed look on Wick's face as he walked past and had to remind herself that he hadn't been down on the ground long enough to see the horror's that it brought.

Kat crouched down to the nearest guard and pulled the key card that would swipe them into the building. She pointed to one of the grounders while the others filed in through the doors. "You stay here, make sure no one comes in." He gave her a blank stare and she huffed impatiently. "Stay," she insisted firmly, holding up a hand like they had done to her before. She mimed looking out into the forest with a bow and arrow and the grounder finally nodded in understanding.

"What are we looking for here, Raven?" Kat asked in a low voice as they quietly began to walk through the halls.

"We need to find the turbine room. The five turbines in there are what powers the electricity for the entire mountain."

"Right. Just tell me which way you think it is." They continued to walk down the hallway, making turns based on what Raven thought was the right way. They didn't run into any other guards until the last turn. Cautiously, Kat and Raven peered around the corner.

"That's it," Raven whispered in Kat's ear, speaking lowly so the guard standing in front of the door didn't hear her.

Kat nodded, her gaze dropping to the gun resting comfortably in the guard's hands. If he saw them and started shooting it would alert nearly everyone in the building that there were intruders. There was nothing for Kat to do, either, the guard would see her coming from a mile away. Turning to another one of the grounders, she gestured around the corner, dropped her gaze to the bow and arrow and pressed a finger to her lips. She could have sworn the grounder smiled through the terrifying mask that covered half his face.

They moved out of his way, watching him notch the arrow and draw. It was pretty impressive – he had about half a second to shift his body out from around the corner, line his shot and loose before the guard registered what he was seeing. They heard the thump of his body hitting the floor and quickly moved forward, stepping over the guard who now had an arrow sticking out of his eye socket. Wick muttered some obscenity but Kat ignored him. She gestured to another ground to stay and watch the door and the remaining group entered the turbine room using the stolen key card.

She entered first, holding up a fist as her eyes swept the room. Looking back on this moment later, she would realize that she had unconsciously been utilizing all her early years spent listening to her father's advice and training. He had been the Commander of the Ark for over a decade and impressed upon her what the job entailed.

She gestured to the final grounder and pointed to the stairs that went up to the walkway overlooking the large turbine room. He quietly swept up the stairs and Kat turned back to Raven and Wick. "Alright guys, this next part is on you – "

"Hey!" A male voice shouted from behind, making Kat whirl around with a low curse. A guard was coming around the corner of one of the turbines and Kat berated herself for not sweeping the entire room first. "What are you – "

The arrow lodged in his brain abruptly cut him off but the damage was already done. Two more guards came spilling into the room and Kat reacted immediately, sprinting towards them before they spotted them and raised their guns. An arrow sped past her, hitting one of the guards in the throat, causing him to make a spluttering choking noise before he fell to the ground. Kat reached the other guard just as he was raising his gun.

She knocked the gun to the side with her left wrist but he caught her arm just as she was about to stab him. Struggling, Kat brought up her knee into the guard's stomach, making him grunt and loosen his grip slightly. She used his slight distraction to push him forward with all her strength, knocking him against the nearby wall and slamming his wrist against it repeatedly until the gun fell from his hand. The guard pushed her away and swung at her with his other fist. She pivoted to the side and he overbalanced, stumbling past her. She sliced her sword across the back of his thigh muscles, causing his legs to give out with a cry. She stepped up to him when he was down and quickly slit his throat before he could make any more noise.

"Right," Kat panted, making her way back to Raven and Wick, who were looking at her with a combination of awe, pride, fear and uncertainty. She ignored it all. "I'm going to check the rest of the room, you guys get started doing whatever it is you have to do." They both nodded, taking their packs off and getting to work. Kat wiped the blood from her sword on one of the dead guards' uniforms and went to go make sure the rest of the room was clear. It was a big room, but luckily enough it seemed like those three guards were the only ones in this section of the dam.

She glanced up at the catwalk up above and caught the gaze of the grounder, who stared at her for a long moment before reluctantly giving her a respectful nod. She returned the favor with a small salute before turning away. A flash of movement caught her eye and she saw Raven cradling a bomb as she moved to another turbine, Wick following close behind. After one more sweep of the room, Kat wandered over to them to see how they were doing and caught the tail end of a conversation she probably wasn't meant to hear.

" – concentrate, Raven," Wick was gently reprimanding her as he tinkered with one of the bombs. "We don't have all day."

Kat could practically hear Raven's eyes rolling in her head even though she was facing the opposite direction and Kat couldn't see her face. "I think I liked you better before we had sex," she drawled in a dry, sarcastic voice.

Kat froze mid stride, eyes nearly popping out of her head as she momentarily forgot about the mission and everything else at this new piece of information. Raven had sex with someone already? Had she moved on from Finn so quickly? For some reason, Kat did think so. She automatically turned halfway around so she could pretend not to hear but froze again when Wick spoke. "Right back at you," Wick shot, his voice laced with frustration and anger. "They can't leave if you push them away first, right? How's that working out for you so far?"

There was a long moment of heavy silence and Kat knew it was time to make her presence known before she was caught eavesdropping. "Hey, how's it going over here guys?" She asked in a loud voice, continuing to walk over to them.

"Great," Raven answered, forcing her voice to sound cheery. "We've set up four bombs so far."

"I'll get started on number five," Wick told them, picking up the bomb and walking away without glancing at either of them.

"You slept with Wick?" Kat hissed, crouching next to Raven so she could see her face.

Raven shot her a quick look. "You shouldn't be listening to conversations that don't concern you," she chided half-heartedly. "And this really isn't the time or the place – "

Kat knew that, but she couldn't help but ask one more question. "Is this like when you tried to sleep with Bellamy that one time?"

"Done," Raven sighed, putting down her tools and turning to look at Kat fully. "I had sex with Wick. It was a momentary lapse in judgment and it's not going to happen again. End of – " She abruptly stopped talking as they both heard the sound of a radio squawking. "What the hell…" She stood and walked to the other side of the turbine, Kat following. They saw Wick approaching the radio on the wall with a frown. "Wick, watch out!" Raven shouted as a man in a blue radioactive suit suddenly stepped out of nowhere and tackled Wick to the floor.

It all happened so quickly that Kat didn't even have time to take five steps before it was all over. Wick was able to push the man to the floor before going to reach for a weapon. In those few, short seconds, the man picked up the radio and was able to yell, "This is 402, we've got intruders in the dam – " And then Wick smashed the metal tool into the man's head with all his strength and he crumpled to the floor.

"Come again, 402?" The woman on the other end of the radio questioned. "Did you say intruders? Backup is on the way."

"They know we're here," Kat told them unnecessarily. "We need to move, fast."

Wick was still staring down at his victim with wide, frightened eyes as if he couldn't believe what he had just done. Raven put a hand on his arm, her expression sympathetic. "Welcome to the ground," she murmured. "Give me the last bomb, Wick, and I'll set it up."

That snapped Wick out his current state. He looked around frantically before his gaze fell on the now useless bomb on the floor. Kat cursed as Wick paled rapidly. "What happens if we only blow four of the five?"

"The power stays on, door stays locked, everyone we care about dies," Raven deadpanned as the weight of her words slammed into them all.

"That's not an option," Kat told them firmly, her eyes flickering between the two of them as she tried to keep the panic at bay. They did not come all this way just to fail now. "We need to think of a back up plan. And by we, I mean you two because I have no idea what any of this shit is."

"Right," Raven said, eyebrows creasing as she forced herself to think. "Okay." She drifted over to the control panel of the turbine and opened it, exposing a bunch of wires. She crouched down in front of it, muttering to herself under her breath. Kat had to consciously struggle to resist the urge to tap her foot or shift restlessly, especially when Raven snapped at Wick for pacing behind her. "Wick, will you cut it out?"

"I'm not doing anything!" He said defensively.

"Exactly."

"Hey, I'm not the one that didn't make enough bombs," Wick pointed out, crossing his arms.

Kat looked between the two of them, alarmed. "Guys, I don't think this is the time to be placing the blame on each other – "

They ignored her. "Five turbines, five bombs. Maybe if you didn't drop the last one – " Raven shot back.

Wick scoffed. "Oh, any engineer worth his salt knows to plan for failure. Two is one, one is none. It's called redundancy."

Raven paused. "That's it!" She crowed, eyes lighting up. "Redundancy! They built more turbines than they needed," she continued to explain at the lost expressions on their faces as she quickly began to rip all the wires out. "We blow the other four this won't take the load. Surge protectors will ramp it down to – "

"To keep it running!" Wick cried loudly, shaking his head. "To keep it from blowing up!"

Raven glared at him over her shoulder, frustrated that he wasn't catching on. "Yeah, we need to shut down this turbine, Wick!"

He blinked, shocked. "Catastrophic failure? That's your plan?"

"Well when you say it like that, it doesn't sound like such a good idea."

"It sounds like a terrible idea," Kat mumbled, knowing that neither of them were paying any attention to her. She was actually kind of fascinated at the way the two of them worked. They pushed each other, challenged each other and were so intent and focused on their goal that they blocked everything else out.

"I'll set the detonators," Wick nodded, hurrying off.

Kat frowned as he left, still trying to work out what the new plan was. What the fuck was redundancy? "So we're still only going to blow four of the turbines?"

"Right," Raven answered, still working on the control panel. "Then we're going to make this turbine take on the full power of the other four until…"

"Catastrophic failure," Kat finished, realization dawning. "You're going to overload the turbine until it blows too." She paused, listening with her head tilted to the side and what she heard sent her heart rate into overdrive. "How long until we're ready?"

"Not too long," Raven told her distractedly. "Why?"

"Cause by the sound of the gunshots that I'm hearing from outside the dam, backup has arrived. I don't how long the grounders will be able to hold them off, but I'm thinking we've got less than five minutes."

"Move it, Wick!" Raven shouted over the turbines. "Our timeline has just drastically decreased."

There wasn't anything that Kat could do but watch helplessly and strain her ears for the sound of the guards coming down the hallways. It was a race to see what would happen first – they would either be able to blow the turbines or the guards would storm in shooting. She glanced up at the grounder on the catwalk. "Get ready," she warned, shifting her grip on her sword.

Raven's job was finished. She grabbed Kat's wrist and dragged her along so that they crouched behind a big object. "Any day, Wick!" She called, holding up the remote detonator.

"I'm moving as fast as I – " A short burst of bullets rang out followed by a cry of pain, indicating that the guards were here and the grounder guarding the door had just died. "Never mind, I can move faster!" He called worriedly, tinkering with the last bomb for another moment before standing up and sprinting back towards them. "Push the damn button, Raven!"

She did and Kat winced as the four bombs went off, shaking the floor of the room and causing the lights to flicker. The doors to the turbine room burst open and guards poured into the room, all of them shouting. "Shit, we're too close," Raven gasped, putting a hand on both Kat and Wick's back and pushing them into a run.

They made it five steps before the guards had their guns trained on them. "Freeze!" They shouted, advancing slowly. "Don't move! Show us your hands!" Kat's eyes shot to the last turbine, which was steadily growing louder, the blue lights spinning faster and faster. An arrow flew over their heads, killing one of the guards, but just as quickly the guard next to him raised his gun and fired. Kat flinched at the sound of the grounders body falling from the catwalk and landing on the floor.

"Just keep moving backwards," Wick muttered under his breath as they all raised their hands in the air, Kat still holding her sword.

"We're still too close," Raven announced, anxiety lacing her voice.

"Not as close as they are," Wick answered in a grim voice. The guards were still shouting but the turbine had finally reached its breaking point and by unspoken agreement the three of them turned on their heel and ran as far as they could before the turbine exploded, sending them all flying through the air and knocking them unconscious.

* * *

**Clarke's POV**

Clarke could hear the words coming out of the Lexa's mouth, she could see the hard, unyielding expression on her face, but for some reason, Clarke couldn't seem to understand what was happening. _She _was the one who kept pushing her to become a leader to her people. _She_ was the one who was just talking of the future, _she_ was the one who had invited her to come to Polis after this was all over.

_What you would have done,_ Lexa's words bounced around her skull, torturing her. _Saved my people._ She tried to ignore the smug look in Carl Emerson's eyes, tried to ignore the sound of the grounders reuniting with the prisoners that were walking out of Mount Weather's front door.

"Where are my people?" Clarke asked in a quiet voice, trying desperately to keep the fury and fear out of her voice, but she heard it waver anyway.

"I'm sorry, Clarke," Lexa told her. There was not a flicker of emotion across her face, and Clarke knew that she was detaching herself from the situation to avoid showing any weakness. They had only known each other for a short period of time, but they had already grown close and learned a lot about the other. "They weren't part of the deal."

Carl Emerson held up his bound hands and turned to Lexa, who used her knife to cut him free. "You made the right choice, Commander," he said to her, though he was looking at Clarke the whole time, his expression both triumphant and taunting. He stepped around Clarke and walked right through the doors that the grounder prisoners were still trickling out of.

Betrayal stabbed through Clarke as her brain finally registered that this was actually happening. Her breath caught in her throat at the pain, tears beginning to well in her eyes. She wanted to get angry, she wanted to yell, to fight, to hit something. She wanted to rage that you can't just kiss someone one moment and then condemn all of her people to die the next. But none of those feelings surfaced. Instead, she only felt the pain of the betrayal and god damn it, it hurt like hell.

Two figures walked over to them, but Clarke found that she couldn't look away from Lexa's stoic gaze. "What is this?" A voice she recognized as Lincoln's asked, sounding confused.

"Was that Carl Emerson, Mount Weather Security Detail?" Arian asked, turning to look at the door. "Did you just let him go free?"

"Your commander's made a deal," Clarke whispered, trying to stop feeling so off balance and trying desperately to think.

"What about the prisoners from the Ark?" Lincoln pressed. He looked to his Commander but it was Clarke who answered him.

"They'll all be killed," Clarke told him in an empty voice, still staring at Lexa. She addressed her next accusation to her. "But you don't care about that, do you?" She was proud to hear that there was a note of fire in her voice this time.

"I do care, Clarke," Lexa snapped. The words sounded false to Clarke's ears and she found that she didn't believe her. "But I made this decision with my head and not my heart. The duty to protect my people comes first. You know that more than anyone."

Ari frowned. "Lex, we made an alliance with the Sky People! We can't just abandon them all to die, it's not right!"

"The deal has already been made," Lexa responded in a firm voice. "We cannot go back on it now."

Clarke shook her head, eyes wide, a part of her hating herself for having to resort to begging. "Please, Lexa. Please don't do this," she whispered, voice wavering again as she implored with her.

"I'm sorry, Clarke," Lexa murmured.

"Commander, not like this," Lincoln argued angrily, stepping forward to try and reason with her. "All of our people are ready, let us fight - "

"No," Lexa interrupted, eyes flashing angrily. "I said the deal is done. All of our people withdraw, those were the terms." She said something to the grounder behind her and he raised a huge horn to his lips, signaling what must have been a retreat because the grounders sheathed their weapons and started walking away from the mountain. "Arian," Lexa snapped warningly, watching him looking between his retreating people and the now closed door of the mountain, wavering. "Remember where your loyalties lie."

Clarke saw the moment that he had made his decision in his eyes. They were sad as they flickered to her and the look on his face was resigned. "Tell Kat…. Tell her I'm sorry."

Clarke let out a bark of crazed laughter as she glared at him. "I can tell her anything you want," she told him angrily, looking to hurt somebody as much as she was hurting. She knew she was taking it out on the wrong person, but every time she looked at Lexa, her anger wilted and she just felt lost. "It's not going to change anything. She's never going to forgive you."

Ari flinched before taking a deep, steadying breath and nodding slowly. "I know."

"Arian, you cannot be serious," Lincoln growled in frustration. "We can't just leave them without any help or protection – "

Arian's face smoothed out in an expression that looked eerily like his sister's. "Are you ready to choose them over your own people, Lincoln? My Commander has given me an order and I'm not willing to disobey or abandon my sister or my family."

Lincoln straightened his shoulders, his face set and they all knew that he wasn't going to give up without a fight. Lexa glanced to the grounder warriors on her left and gave a short order. Two of them converged on Lincoln, who fought tooth and nail to free himself until one of them smashed the handle of his sword into his head and Lincoln collapsed, unconscious. They dragged him away and Lexa swept off after him. After one last sympathetic look at Clarke, Ari turned to follow her.

Clarke let out the shaky breath that she had been holding as the entire plan that she had been working so hard for collapsed around her. She heard Monroe and the guards from Camp Jaha tell her that it was over, but it sounded garbled and far away. A tear trickled down her face as she turned to look at the door of Mount Weather, standing alone. It couldn't be over, not like this. There had to be another way – but what?

* * *

**Kat's POV**

"Kat!" She winced as she slowly and painfully regained consciousness. "Kat, wake up!" _Raven's voice_, she realized, her eyes fluttering open, grunting as she struggled to sit upright. Pieces of debris and concrete fell off her as she held a hand to her head. "Are you okay?"

"Fuck this," Kat groaned in frustration, looking around her and seeing the devastation. "This is the second fucking time I've gotten blown up in the past two days." Her eyes landed on Raven, who was clutching her injured leg, and Wick who seemed to have an injured arm. Both of them just looked like they had been in an explosion and they were both bloody, but they were also both alive, which was more than what could have been said for the Mount Weather guards who were strewn across the floor in pieces. "Come on," Kat told them, gritting her teeth as she shakily stumbled to her feet, a hand on her now twice bruised chest as she struggled to take a deep breath. "There's definitely more of them, we need to get going."

Wick nodded, shifting closer to one side of Raven while Kat took the other. "On the count of three," he said. "One, two, three – " Both he and Kat lifted, which caused Raven to cry out in pain, Wick to grab his shoulder with a contorted face and Kat to fall to one knee next to them as they collapsed back on the ground.

Kat's brain raced as she thought of what to do next. Her eyes darted through the wreckage, looking for her sword while half listening to the conversation the other two were having. "Kyle – " Raven murmured in a defeated voice, looking up at him.

"No," he growled, shaking his head and looking angry. "Don't even think about it – "

"I was just going to say…" A helpless, very un-Raven-like expression crossed her face. "Don't leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere," Wick promised her softly, pulling her close. The doors to the turbine room burst open again and five or six Mountain guards ran into the room, masks on and guns raised.

"Here we go," Kat muttered, her eyes landing on a glint of silver amidst the rubble. The guards slowly moved closer, shouting at them to stay where they were and Kat tensed, preparing herself.

"Kat, what are you – " Raven tried to ask in alarm.

"I'm not going back there without a fight," Kat snarled. Once they were close enough, Kat lunged for her sword, taking the first guard by surprise when she grabbed the handle and stood in the same motion, shoving the sword through his stomach and out the other side. She tried to pull it out with all her strength but the sudden exertion in her state caused her to lose her grip as she stumbled into another guard.

"We need them alive!" One of the guards shouted as another aimed his gun at her. The surprised guard that she stumbled into automatically grabbed her with one hand and Kat used his moment of distraction to grab the hand holding his gun. She pressed his trigger finger and the gun went off multiple times, hitting two more guards and causing them to go down.

At this point the guard got over his surprise and was able to wrench his gun away. She fought as hard as her weakened, bruised body allowed, but the others converged on her, forcing her to her knees as one of the guards smashed his gun into her temple, causing the darkness to envelope her, yet again.

* * *

**Cage's POV**

"The plan worked, sir," Emerson told him, his hands behind his back. "Just as you said it would. The outsiders took the deal and they're retreating as we speak."

"Excellent," Cage nodded, the pressure beginning to lift from his chest. "Walk with me." He led the way back towards the quarantine rooms with the intention of telling his father that his plan had succeeded. Maybe now that his father had actively helped their people he would be able to see Cage's side of things. Maybe now they can start working together instead of against each other.

"The team we sent to take back the dam found a small group of outsiders guarding it. They've been dealt with accordingly. Inside there were three people from the Ark who survived the explosion. One of them was the elusive Katerina Hale," Emerson told him, noting the interest that suddenly appeared in Cage's eyes. "She took out three of our men before she was subdued."

Cage's lips quirked. "That sounds like her. Bring them in," he ordered. "Send the other two to the dorms, but bring Kat down to the lower level. Our scientists developed a new strain that has gone untested since all this has gone to shit. I think she just might be the perfect candidate."

"Right away, sir," Emerson nodded, turning in the opposite direction. Cage, feeling much better, couldn't hold back the smile that crossed his face. Things seemed to be looking up after all.

* * *

**Kat's POV**

Kat didn't slowly regain consciousness this time around, she jolted awake with a gasp, her eyes flying open in alarm. She tried to sit upright but she couldn't even move an inch due to the strap around her neck and the restraints on her wrists and ankles. Her heart rate picked up rapidly as she realized the she was tied down to some type of chair. The walls of the room she was being held in was carved right from the rock and there was some sort of spinning light coming from behind her.

A metal door stood at the opposite end of the room, one heavy enough to be several inches thick. She struggled to lift her head when it opened and her eyes narrowed when she saw who walked in, with a nonchalant, pleasant expression on his face. "Cage," she growled, fighting against the restraints at the sight of him. "What is this? Let me go, you sick son of a bitch!"

"Hello to you too, sweetheart," he greeted with a smile. "It's useless to struggle. Men ten times stronger than you have tried and failed to get out of those restraints."

Kat stopped fighting and relaxed, panting as she glared at Cage. "What am I doing here?" She spat, following him with her eyes as he began to slowly circle her. "Where are Raven and Wick?"

"They're fine," he assured her in a smooth voice. "They're waiting to have their bone marrow removed. Once it's their turn, they won't be as fine, of course, but their sacrifice is greatly appreciated. Your plan failed, you know. There's a team ready to fix the dam as we speak, the door remains shut and pretty soon we'll find the rest of your little friends for their bone marrow extraction."

"The rest?" Kat questioned, seeing hope in his little slip. "So you haven't found them all yet, have you? Which means that our plan didn't totally fail."

"Don't look so smug," Cage chuckled. "It's only a matter of time. Face it, Katerina, we've won."

She ignored that, focusing on the bigger problem at hand. "Why aren't you taking my bone marrow? Why am I down here – " She abruptly stopped talking, grey eyes dawning with realization. "That door you found me in front of when I was a prisoner here, the one with the iron bar and the keypad. That door leads down here, doesn't it?" Her gaze frantically flickered around the room again, taking in the dried bloodstains on the floor and the alarm and panic quickly spread through her. "This is where you turn the grounders into reapers," she whispered, horrified.

"An excellent fighter _and_ smart," Cage grinned, stopping his circling and stepping closer to her. He pulled something out of his pocket and held it up for her to see. "See this?" It was a syringe that actually looked like a small gun, just with a very sharp looking needle and a small container with a deep red liquid. "We call it the Red Drug, or Red for short. Except, that it's a slightly different strain than the one we usually use. It's twice as strong, of course, and a greater concentration, which works perfectly with our time constraints. Usually, we give these doses to an outsider every two hours over the course of a day or two. We have considerably less time than that, so we're going to have to speed up the process a bit. I'd warn you of the risks, but as I said I'm not quite sure what's going to happen. It's all a bit exciting, don't you think?"

"You can't put that stuff in me," Kat told him in a panicked voice as he moved around the chair to stand by her head, the syringe poised and ready. "Stop! You can't do this, you can't – No! I'm going to fucking kill you, you fucking son of a bitch – " She tossed her head from side to side frantically, causing Cage to hold her head down with one hand and plunge the syringe into her neck with the other.

The effect was instantaneous as a rush of euphoria spread through out her body, causing the fight and fear to leave her as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, which lolled listlessly to the side. Everything that mattered, everything that she cared about, ceased to exist in that moment. It was a wonderful, freeing feeling but it didn't last long enough. Her face began to contort in pain as the happy feeling began to feel as if the blood rushing through her veins were on fire.

"Don't worry," Cage murmured in her ear. "The first dose is always the worse." She grunted as it spread, the pain nearly tripling and causing her to gasp. Even moving her eyes to watch him pull a tone generator out of his pocket hurt like hell. He turned it on and glanced up at the camera on the wall. "Now," Cage called to the camera on the wall, stepping back swiftly.

Hundreds of volts of electricity surged through the restraints at her wrist, causing her eyes to slam shut and her back to bow off the chair at the sudden, excruciating pain that mixed terribly with the fire already running through her veins. She tried so hard to fight against it, to deny him the satisfaction, but in the end she lost and her mouth dropped open to release a hair-raising, anguished scream as her body shook and twitched.

* * *

**Author's Note: Alright, let's have it. Did you hate it? Enjoy it? Want to throw something at me? I felt like I needed to give Kat a different type of role to play in this season finale and this cruel idea came to me pretty recently actually. Any predictions about what's going to happen to Kat and how it's going to change the season finale?**

**Please don't forget to review! Your support is one of the main reasons why I continue writing this story :)**

Guest 1 – Thanks for your review! I'm so glad you loved the last chapter. As for whether you should be excited or scared… both! I certainly was when I wrote the twist haha

Rae – Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoyed the last one!

Guest 2 – Here it is, wait no more! Thanks for reviewing!

Guest 3 – I'm so glad Kat's confusion came across in the last chapter, it was definitely something that I struggled with the most. I'm looking forward to their reunion as well… though it might not be as happy as you think!


	16. Knocking on Heaven's Door

**Author's Note: Hello? Is anybody out there still reading this story? I am so sorry for the longest wait ever! I could give you a whole bunch of reasons as to why this is so late, but you guys don't care, you just want to read the chapter. **

**So without further ado, here's the season 2 finale! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Chapter 16: Knocking on Heaven's Door

**Bellamy's POV**

Bellamy stood there, staring at the empty cages in absolute shock. One part of him was waiting for the grounders to return from wherever they went, while another part of him was hoping this was just a nightmare and he would wake up with the grounder army he was supposed to have.

"Shit," he swore, turning back around to his companions. Poor Maya was sobbing hysterically over her father's dead body and Bellamy took a moment to allow himself to feel sadness seep through him. Her dad had risked so much to help them, going against his own people because it was the right thing to do. He didn't deserve to die.

Jasper was crouched down beside Maya, an arm across her shoulders as the tears streamed down her face. Bellamy and Monty glanced at each other and they both knew they couldn't stay here for much longer. Feeling like an insensitive ass, Bellamy shifted uncomfortably. "Maya… I'm sorry, but we can't stay here," he said gently, making his tone sympathetic. "I don't know where the grounders went and we need to get down to the reaper tunnels. I'm not sure what's going on outside but there was supposed to be a team getting through those doors."

Jasper sent him an indignant glare. "Bellamy, now is not – "

"No, he's right," Maya interrupted, forcing herself to stand and hastily wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "We don't have time for this now."

"Maya – "

Maya ignored Jasper and turned towards Bellamy. "I'll lead you down to the tunnels."

Their group was quiet as they made their way through the hallways, each lost in their own thoughts. All of Mount Weather was isolated to Level 5 so they didn't have to hide or sneak around. After stopping by one of the storage rooms to pick up a radiation suit for Maya, they all hurried to the large door outside the reaper tunnels.

Bellamy slipped the gun out of the pocket of the Mount Weather guard uniform and held it down by his side, his other hand on the door handle. "Be ready for anything," Bellamy warned them in a low voice. "Three, two, one…"

He yanked the door open, gun raised as he stepped into the tunnel. He had less than half a second to register the fact that Octavia was standing in front of him before she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. His knees almost buckled in relief as he wrapped his arms around her. Almost immediately he searched over Octavia's shoulder but he only saw Clarke standing there, a lost, desperate expression on her face.

"Where is she?" Bellamy asked once Octavia had released him to greet the others. "Where's Kat?"

Clarke's eyebrows furrowed as her eyes flashed with worry. "I don't know," she admitted after a moment. "We lost contact with Raven's team a while ago, but they did their job and blew the power."

Bellamy's stomach twisted in both fear and anxiety. He had hoped that Kat would have met up with either Clarke or Octavia, but now he had no idea where she was and that scared him to no end. Realizing that there was nothing he could do about it now, he tried to focus on the matter at hand. "What happened out there?" He asked. "Where's your army?"

"Gone, just like yours," Clarke told him. She looked up at him with wide blue eyes, a pleading expression on his face that Bellamy had seldom seen there before. "Please tell me you have a plan."

"Not really. Come on, we should go talk to Dante."

* * *

"Move it," Bellamy ordered, shoving Dante slightly in the back to get him moving faster. He was furious with Clarke and the rest of their people for shutting off the power in Mount Weather and endangering his people, so now he was refusing to help them against Cage. Jasper, Maya and Octavia had split off to help Maya with her malfunctioning radiation suit and Bellamy wished that they had some way to communicate with them to make sure they were okay.

"Why aren't you with the rest of your people on level five?" Clarke asked aggressively as they stopped in front of the command center door and gave Monty time to work his magic and break in.

"After what I've done, they can be free. I can't," he said simply, resigned to his fate. "Deliverance comes at a cost. I bear it so they don't have to."

Clarke looked somewhat thoughtful at his words, as if the concept was something that she hadn't thought of before. "It wasn't Cage," Bellamy said suddenly after pondering what Dante meant about his freedom. "You were the one who made the deal with the grounders."

Dante nodded, but before Clarke or Bellamy could comment on it further, they heard a click as Monty successfully broke into the command center. Bellamy stepped forward to take the lead, lifting his gun and pushing the door open, sweeping the room. "Clear," Bellamy said, stepping to the side and allowing Monty to enter.

"Let's get the monitors up," Clarke ordered, ushering Dante into the room in order to shut and lock the door behind them.

Monty sat in front of the dozens of screens, his fingers furiously typing away at the keyboard. There were levers, buttons and flashing lights that Bellamy couldn't even begin to comprehend, but Monty didn't even hesitate. "I'm in," he declared after less than a minute.

The screens came to life and while most of them showed empty hallways, there was one that caught all of their attention on level five. It was labeled the Dorm room and it showed two doctors standing over a prone, motionless figure that lay on a table. "Is that Raven?" Bellamy asked, breaking the silence in a low, horrified voice. _Kat was with Raven._ "Scan the rest of the room," Bellamy told Monty, striding forward so that he was standing closer to the screen. Monty did as he was told and Bellamy's horror only grew when he saw the rest of their people lined up along the walls of the room, standing with their hands handcuffed above their heads. He saw Miller, Harper, and Kane but Kat was nowhere to be found. _Where the hell is she?_

"Mom," Clarke gasped, noticing her mother standing next to Kane.

Bellamy's eyes went back to Raven, desperately trying to see if her chest was still rising and falling. Clenching his jaw, Bellamy swiped a radio from a nearby table and shoved it into Dante's chest. "Tell them to stop," he barked.

Dante sent him a look of utter contempt, refusing to take it. "I won't do that."

Clarke spun around at his words, a look of determination that was so reminiscent of leader Clarke on as she marched over and snatched the radio out of Bellamy's hands. "Carl Emerson, Mount Weather security detail, come in."

Bellamy's eyes flickered from screen to screen until he found Emerson in the mess hall. He walked away from the rest of his people, lifting the radio to his mouth. "Who is this?"

"You know who this is," Clarke answered. "Give the radio to the president."

Monty made the camera swivel after Emerson as he moved his way through the throng of people, handing the radio to Cage and whispering in his ear. A grave expression crossed Cage's face as he left the mess hall and stepped outside. "This is President Wallace."

"I have your father," Clarke announced, not bothering to waste any time. "If you don't let my people go, I'll kill him."

They saw Cage's hands tighten on the radio, his jaw clenching. "How do I really know you have him?"

Bellamy shoved Dante forward a step as Clarke held the radio out to him. "Stay the course, Cage."

The atmosphere in the command center was thick with tension. It was a high-pressured situation and yet amazingly enough, Bellamy's mind began to drift to Kat. His worry for her was eating away at his insides and in the back of his mind the same questions were repeating itself over and over. _Where is she? Is she somewhere within Mount Weather or is she lying injured back at the dam?_ He refused to entertain any other darker scenarios.

He blinked in surprise when Clarke suddenly spun around with a gun aimed at Dante and Bellamy forced himself to focus. "Clarke," he cautioned, holding his arm out to her as he took several careful steps away from Dante. "We need him alive."

Clarke didn't even spare him a glance. She had her single-minded "leader" face on and Bellamy knew that he wasn't going to be able to change her mind on anything at this point. "I need his son to believe me. Don't make me do this, Cage," she said into the radio.

Cage's eyes shone with hatred as he reconciled himself with what was happening. "I'll take care of our people, dad," he promised, his voice shaking slightly.

"None of us has a choice here, Clarke," Dante told her. "We're all just trying to do what's best for our people."

"I didn't want this," Clarke whispered, the words her own form of an apology as she pulled the trigger, the resulting gunshot loud within the confines of the small room. Bellamy saw Dante collapse to the floor out of the corner of his eye but his attention was focused on Clarke, who had the look of someone who would go to extreme lengths to save her people. She had just murdered someone, a fact that she realized if the tears welling in her eyes were any indication, but still she wouldn't back down. "Listen to me very carefully. I will not stop until my people are free. If you don't let them go… I will irradiate level five."

* * *

**Cage's POV**

Cage was sure the sound of his father's dead body hitting the floor was going to haunt him for the rest of his life. He and his father might not have seen eye to eye on certain things, but his loss was a painful hole in his chest. He hid the pain by turning his back to the camera, hand leaning against the wall as he hunched over slightly.

"Sir." Cage turned his head towards Emerson who leaned in close so the people from the Ark couldn't read his lips. "I just got word from Langston. They've captured one of the kids from the Ark. She's dressed as a grounder and carrying a sword. Langston says she was with Maya Vie and that Jasper boy and attacked him in order for the other two to get away. She's killed Paul, sir."

"The girl…."

Emerson nodded. "It's Octavia, sir, the one who tore my radiation suit. Her brother is the one who's been helping them from the inside. We have yet to catch him."

"It was a good idea to get the information about their people while we took their bone marrow," Cage complimented in appreciation. "Let's use this to our advantage. Clarke is in the command center and I'm sure the brother is with her. Take two guards with you and bring this girl Octavia to a room on one side of level five. When you're finished, meet me down in the basement to help bring up Katerina. Let's give this pain of the ass a choice," Cage told him, a grin beginning to spread across his face, his mood lifting at the first part of his plan for revenge. "His sister or the girl he's in love with?"

* * *

**Kat's POV**

The sound of the door opening slowly brought Kat back into awareness. It took her an incredible amount of strength for her to pry open her eyes. Every time she did, it became harder and harder to remember who she was. Faces flashed through her mind – a man with messy brown hair and a playful smirk, a girl with blonde hair and a bossy attitude, another girl with long brown hair and a mischievous personality. There were others as well, but they were the ones that faded first. She repeated their names over and over in her mind so she wouldn't forget. _Bellamy, Clarke, Octavia, Miller, Jasper, Monty. My name is Kat Hale and I am stronger than this. Bellamy, Clarke, Octavia, Miller, Jasper, Monty…Bellamy, Clarke, Octavia, Miller, Jasper, Monty…_

"How is my favorite little reaper doing?" It was a man that spoke and his voice brought out the most curious reaction in her. Dread flooded through her veins and she moaned, slowly shaking her head from side to side. Her muscles and joints ached and her stomach was cramping something terrible, but when Cage entered her line of vision, her heart broke out into a sprint and anticipation began to fill her.

"I am going…to kill you," Kat swore, forcing the words through her gritted teeth as she feebly struggled against her restraints.

"Well now, I must admit that I am impressed," Cage told her, stopping in her line of sight, putting his hand on the chair next to her head and leaning over her with a wide smile. "I knew that you were strong, but you just continue to surprise me. It's a shame that we don't have the time to do this properly. You see, your friends have been a thorn in my side for far too long, particularly that boyfriend of yours."_ Bellamy…_ Her eyes tried to focus on what Cage was saying at the mention of his name, something that didn't escape his notice. "I've come up with a fun little game. His love in one room and his sister in the other, both with guns pressed to their heads. He has the opportunity to choose one. Who does he pick?" The small burst of hope that had flared inside her at the mention of Bellamy faded. A choice between her and Octavia? She knew whom he would choose. His sister, his responsibility. "Just think about it Katerina, the next time you wake up, you'll either see a bullet speeding towards your head or your precious boyfriend. Either way, this will probably be the last time we see each other." He sighed, reaching into this pocket and pulling out another syringe filled with the red drug. She actually had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from licking her lips. Every part of her screamed out for the drug and a small part of her was terrified by how much she craved it. "You won't recognize anyone after this. This will be your third and final dose, Katerina. But I'll only give it to you if you really, truly want it."

He held it out to her, just inches from her neck. Kat stared at it with wide, wild eyes. _Bellamy, Clarke, Octavia, Miller, Jasper, Monty…_ Kat chanted in her head as she desperately fought the overwhelming need. _Bellamy, Clarke, Octavia, Miller…._ If she had the ability to at this moment, Kat would have cried. She didn't want this, she really didn't want it. Her people were somewhere just above her and she couldn't bring herself to care anymore. _Bellamy, Clarke… Bellamy… Bellamy… Bell…_

With a defeated groan and a deep feeling of loathing, Kat screwed her eyes shut against Cage's triumphant grin and turned her head to the side, exposing her neck to Cage as she waited eagerly for the rush and the high. _I'm sorry…_

* * *

**Bellamy's POV**

"Where is Cage?" Bellamy snapped, his eyes frantically flicking from one screen to another. "He can't have just disappeared!"

"I don't know!" Monty responded, sounding panicked as he fingers flew across the control panel. "He's the president, he knows where all the cameras are and how to avoid being seen!"

"What about Emerson?" Clarke asked, stepping up to Monty's other side, scanning. "What is he up to?"

"Hold on," Monty muttered, working furiously. "There! He's… oh no."

Bellamy looked to where he was pointing and he felt like he had been both punched and doused with ice-cold water. Two of Mount Weather's guards were walking down the hall, carrying a female prisoner between them. She was unconscious, her arms tied behind her back and a gag tied around her mouth. Her head lolled to the side so her hair was partially covering her face, but Bellamy had seen this girl almost every day of her life and knew each and every one of her features. It was Octavia. Emerson was leading his guards, a grave expression on his face. He looked up at a nearby camera as he passed as if he knew he was being watched and did nothing to hide what he was doing.

"Follow him," Bellamy barked, one hand clenched in a death grip on this back of Monty's chair and the other clenched into a fist at his side. He watched, his eyes glued to the screens as Emerson led the guards into a room that was empty except for a metal chair. "Where is that room?" Bellamy demanded, watching the guards tie Octavia's hands and feet to the chair. He checked the rounds on his gun, his brown eyes sparking with fury. "I'm going to get her back – "

Clarke shot him an alarmed look. "Bellamy, it's obviously some sort of trap! You can't just go rushing in there –"

"That is my _sister_, Clarke – " Bellamy snarled, but he broke off as Monty gasped.

"Oh god," he cried, eyes widening as one of the guards pulled out his gun and pointed it at Octavia's head, standing not even two feet away. Bellamy lost his breath as they all waited and watched, but the guard never pulled the trigger. In fact, Emerson said something to the guard and left. He went one way, the extra guard went another and still the guard with the gun stayed there, unmoving.

"Track both of them," Clarke ordered quickly. Bellamy sent another glance at his unconscious sister on the screen and literally couldn't stand seeing her vulnerable, defenseless and in danger. He was headed for the door before his brain had even told his legs to move. "Stop, Bellamy!"

Bellamy swung around, pissed. "Clarke – "

"I know that it's Octavia," Clarke told him, pleading with her eyes to listen to her. "But Cage and Emerson are obviously planning something, we need to be smart about this!"

"Uh, guys?" Monty interrupted, glancing over his shoulder at them, his eyes worried. "Emerson's disappeared just like Cage, but…." He turned back around and pointed to a screen on the left. "The other guard grabbed two of his buddies and they're setting up a table with restraints just like the one they're using in the dorm rooms."

"Do you think they're setting up another room to extract bone marrow from?" Clarke asked in concern, momentarily forgetting about her argument with Bellamy and she moved closer to the screens once more.

"It's possible," Monty answered uncertainly. "If they have another doctor or two, they can. Maybe they're trying to get as many done as quickly as possible." His face looked solemn. "Which means that our friends will die twice as quickly."

Bellamy used their conversation as an opportunity to sneak out the door again to try and rescue Octavia. He had his hand on the doorknob and was about to leave when he heard Monty speak again. "Bellamy!" His voice was a strange combination of excited and scared and it was enough to make Bellamy turn around. "I think we've just found Kat."

"What?" Bellamy snapped, hurrying to Monty's side. "Where?" His heart, which had sunk down to his stomach at the sight of Octavia, seemed to lift and beat once more. Monty wordlessly pointed to one of the screens, where he saw Emerson carrying yet another unconscious female in his arms bridal style. Cage was walking next to him and the only word that Bellamy could think to describe the look on his face was evil. "That fucking son of a bitch," Bellamy snarled, his body practically vibrating with rage as he watched them strap Kat down onto the table. "What has he done to her? Where has she been all this time?"

"Look at Cage," Clarke muttered, eyes narrowed as Monty zoomed in the screen.

Cage had walked into the hallway and stood in front of the camera, his radio held up to his mouth. "I know that you're watching and I'm speaking directly to you, Clarke, and to the young man who infiltrated my home. You've killed my father and Sergeant Lovejoy, blew up our defense systems and put all of my people in danger. So let's play a fun, little game. I'm giving you, Bellamy, a choice. You have five minutes to attempt to save either Katerina or your sister. Whoever you don't choose will be shot and killed. If I have any indication that you will split up and attempt to save both of them, or if you don't succeed within the next ten minutes, both of them will die." A wide, savage grin crossed Cage's face. "Oh, and I'll be taking out the camera's in each of the room's so your friend Monty can't help you out. It makes things more interesting, don't you think? Tick tock," he taunted.

"Bring up a map and show me where they are," Bellamy ordered immediately, adrenaline beginning to pump through his body.

"Already ahead of you," Monty confirmed, fingers typing furiously once more. "Alright, so it looks like Cage has Kat and Octavia in rooms directly opposite from each other. I don't think you'll be able to reach both of them before time runs out."

Bellamy looked away from his pitying, miserable expression. His mind was racing, his brain torturing him with images of his time with both Kat and Octavia. He loved them both more than he had thought he was capable of loving anyone and his heart was aching at the choice that he would have to make. Except, even though it killed him, he knew it wasn't a choice. While he never thought he would meet anyone quite like Kat, Octavia was his baby sister… his family. He had helped his mother deliver her, he was able to calm her crying when his mother was sleeping or working – he had raised Octavia and he could never let anything happen to her.

But his decision left an acid hole in his stomach.

"What are our options?" Clarke was asking Monty, her arms crossed and her problem solving face on. "Can we irradiate Level 5?"

"Yes, but not nearly fast enough," Monty responded, looking sick to his stomach as he swiveled in his chair to face them. "We can't split up because Cage will know and kill them both. After what just happened with his father, we have to assume that he's not bluffing." He looked between Clarke and Bellamy. "So who do we choose?"

"Octavia," Bellamy responded at the same time that Clarke said, "Kat." There was a long, tense moment of silence.

Clarke glared at him, blue eyes flashing. "Kat has been my friend for years, I can't just let her die – "

"Octavia is my sister," Bellamy interrupted, his voice final and his tone suggesting that he was not in the mood to argue. "I'm going to save Octavia first and then I'm going after Kat, Cage be damned." Bellamy's throat was burning and he swallowed harshly to get his emotions under control. "Clarke, I love Kat and you have no fucking idea how hard this is for me, but Octavia has to come first. My sister, my responsibility. So you can either help me or get out of my way."

Clarke's nostrils flared. She didn't like this plan or agree with it, but she also realized that there was no way to change his mind. "We're saving both of them," Clarke demanded, her voice strained and cracking. "There is no other option. Understood?"

"Understood," Bellamy nodded.

Monty walked over and grabbed a radio from the shelf. "The room Octavia's held in is two lefts and a right. I'll have this if you need anything. Go!" He urged.

Guns in hand, both Bellamy and Clarke slipped out the door. Trying to remain cautious but still move quickly, they jogged, hugging the wall and pausing at corners to make sure no one was there. _We've wasted too much time_, he raged internally, panicking slightly. How much time did they have left? Seven minutes? Five? Did Cage send more guards since they had left?

They slowed down before turning down the hallway where the room was located. "Two guards," Clarke breathed after carefully peering around the corner. "One stationed on each side of the room not counting the guard inside." She looked back at him expectantly. "What's the plan?"

"We kill them," Bellamy growled.

"Right." Clarke rolled her eyes. Leaning her back against the wall, she scuffed her boot against the floor loud enough to draw the guard's attention.

"You hear that?" One of the guards asked in a low voice.

"Yeah. I'll go check it out." The guard's footsteps approached, growing louder and Clarke nodded at Bellamy. Eager to get his hands on one of these bastards, Bellamy waited with baited breath until the guard appeared around the corner and then he attacked. The guard was completely taken by surprise and Bellamy was able to get several crucial hits in. He didn't reign in his punches, pulling his arm back all the way and getting some of his frustration out at the same time. He barely registered the few hits that the guard managed to land, and only stopped when Clarke shouted his name.

The guard beneath him was a bloody, unrecognizable mess and Bellamy's fist was scraped and bruised. Bellamy glanced around to see that Clarke had already taken out the other guard with a well-placed bullet. He was slightly gratified to see that there was no judgment in Clarke's gaze. Bellamy swept past her, picking up the gun that he had dropped on the floor in his anger.

Taking a deep breath, Bellamy quickly stepped into the room, raising his gun and lining the guard up in his sights. "Don't move," the guard ordered immediately. Bellamy's eyes flickered to Octavia who was now conscious. She struggled in her restraints when she saw Bellamy, trying to speak but her words were garbled and he couldn't understand them. "Stop where you are or I'll blow her brains out," the guard snapped, pressing the gun harder against her temple.

Swearing under his breath, Bellamy put his hands and the gun up, moving further into the room and away from the doorway. "Alright! Alright, just – just don't hurt her," he pleaded.

"Kick your gun over here." Slowly, Bellamy placed his gun on the ground, sending up a quick prayer to whatever god was out there that Clarke was paying attention and that she was ready.

"Fine! Here," Bellamy said, kicking the gun over harder than was necessary. Distracted, the guard's gaze followed the path of the gun, giving Clarke time to step into the room and let off a well-placed shot. The guard staggered and collapsed back against the wall. Bellamy was on him in an instant, wrenching the gun out of his hands and smashing him in the temple hard enough to knock him unconscious.

He slipped the gun back into his holster and hurried over to Octavia, pulling the gag down. She took in a deep breath, looking pissed. "I can't believe those fuckers beat me! If I hadn't been outnumbered two to one – "

"Hurry, Bellamy," Clarke urged, shifting anxiously on her feet and ignoring Octavia completely. "We're running out of time."

"I'm trying," Bellamy snarled, yanking and pulling at the tape around Octavia's ankles already having freed her wrists.

Octavia looked between the two of them, picking up at the tension in the room and straightening. "What?" She demanded heatedly. "What's wrong?"

"We need to get Kat," Bellamy answered, feeling relieved when he finally got the tape off. "We'll explain on the way, but we really need to move. Come on, let's go!"

Bellamy yanked Octavia to her feet, pushing her out the door. "Monty, come in," Clarke panted, raising the radio to her mouth. "What's the quickest way to get to Kat?"

The voice who answered was most certainly not Monty's. "I'm afraid that's not necessary," Cage informed them, his voice triumphant. Without being consciously aware of the decision, all three of them slowed down and gathered around the radio in Clarke's hand. "You both have made your choice. While I personally think it was the wrong one, you knew the rules and you know the consequences."

"What is he talking about?" Octavia hissed, beginning to look both alarmed and frightened. "What choice did you make? What consequences?"

"Remember this moment, you two," Cage continued, his voice haunting. "Kat's death is on your hands." The sound of a gunshot echoed through the radio and Bellamy staggered as the floor suddenly tilted. He threw out a hand to catch himself on a nearby wall, his ears ringing as he struggled to take in a deep breath.

"What the fuck is going on, Clarke?" Octavia was shouting, though her words sounded jumbled and far away. "What choice? What did he mean about Kat's death? Snap out of it Clarke, if you don't tell me what the fuck is going on – "

"Monty," Clarke gasped, looking like she was having just as hard a time breathing as Bellamy. "Did… did he – "

"The camera came back online," Monty informed them quietly. "There's so much blood, Clarke. I'm sorry, there's no way anyone can survive that."

He had failed. After everything that he and Kat had been through – the fighting, Kat getting captured by Mount Weather, her thinking he was dead, reuniting and then being separated once more – he had failed her. His mind flashed back to their last night together before he left, a night that he could easily describe as one of the best of his life. A picture of her appeared in his mind's eye, her sweaty hair plastered to her forehead, her eyes warm and content as she gazed down at him, her figure silhouetted by the moonlight. _Come back to me,_ he heard her whisper in his ear.

"Where does he think he's going?" Clarke asked, sniffling.

A hand wrapped around his arm to try and pull him to a stop but he violently wrenched it away. "I have to see her," he murmured brokenly. "I need to see her."

"Uh, guys?" Monty's voice sounded over the radio again. "Four guards are heading in your direction as we speak. You need to move."

"We need to get back to Monty," Clarke spoke up again. "Grab an arm and help me get him back to the command center."

Bellamy allowed them to drag him in the direction of the command center. He felt as if time for him had slowed to a crawl, while everything and everyone around him was moving at the speed of light. He couldn't think properly, couldn't get his mind past the thought of Kat's body surrounded by a pool of red blood.

So when Octavia punched him in the chest with all her strength, he blinked in surprise and staggered backwards, struggling to focus and realizing they had made it back to the command center. Tears were streaming down her face, smearing the black grounder paint around her eyes. "Damn you, Bellamy, damn you!" She shouted, hitting him over and over. "Why did you save me instead of her? How am I supposed to live with that? How are you supposed to live with that? Every time you look at me – " her voice broke and she took a deep shuddering breath. "Every time you look at me, you're going to be reminded that you saved me instead of her."

"I had no choice," Bellamy murmured quietly, making no move to stop her. "You're my sister. I had no choice."

"Damn you," she spat, moving forward again but Clarke intercepted her this time, stepping between them and pushing Octavia back several steps, her own tears in her eyes.

"Enough," Clarke snapped, glaring at both of them. "We're all grieving for Kat, but now is not the time for this. She would have understood the choice that had been made and she would kick our asses if she could see us now. Raven is still being tortured on that table and our people are still in danger. She would want us to focus on what was most important."

* * *

**Cage's POV**

"They've made it back to the command center," Emerson informed him, both of them standing in a storage closet where they wouldn't be seen.

"Good," Cage responded, tilting his head to the side as he examined his handiwork. Katerina, still unconscious, was now tied to a wooden chair, her wrists and ankles tied to it by some rope.

"It was a brilliant move to use some of the harvested blood, sir. I think that really sold it. But I've disconnected the camera again like you asked. It won't be long before they notice."

"You've done good work, Emerson," Cage complimented, clapping him on the back. "Let's finished part two of this plan."

"What about the girl?" He asked, nodding to her.

"The sedation will wear off shortly and Katerina will wake up. With her heightened abilities it won't take long for her to break free. When we win this thing, it won't be difficult to control her," he explained, holding up a tone generator. "But if by some chance we should lose… I wonder how many people Katerina will be able to take down with her before her own people realized they have to take her out." Emerson grinned. "Now, I'm going to the dorms to show Clarke just how serious I am. I'm giving you permission to kill the others."

"Yes, sir," Emerson nodded, looking like he was going to relish the task.

He left and Cage looked at Katerina one more time, placing her sword he had retrieved from the dam against the wall before turning on his heel and leaving the storage closet. He wished that he could stay and see the chaos that she would reap when she woke up, but he had more pressing things to attend to at the moment.

* * *

**Bellamy's POV**

"Oh god," Monty muttered, tearing his eyes away from the arguing group to glance back at the screens. "Guys, Emerson's coming for us."

It was enough to jolt them back to the present and realize the situation that they were still in. Bellamy tore his eyes away from his sister's tear streaked gaze and joined Clarke at the monitors. "My key card…" he trailed off as his voice broke and cleared his throat. His mission wasn't finished yet. Once they saved their people, then he could beat himself up and mourn the only girl that he had ever loved. "They deactivated my key card. Can you do the same to his?"

"Easy."

"Look, there's Cage," Clarke murmured, pointing to a screen on the left. "He's heading to the dorm. Get ready to irradiate level five, Monty," Clarke told him, her blue gaze still glued to Cage. "Start working." Monty sent her a worried, lingering look but did as he was told, typing away at the keyboard so fast that the clicks all blended into one continuous sound in the background.

"Clarke," Bellamy spoke up, loud enough to get her attention and force her to look at him. "We have to think of another option. There are innocent people on level five, there are _children_ – "

"Do you have a better idea?" Clarke demanded, eyes flashing. "I'm willing to hear it, Bellamy, I don't want to have to do this! But I'm not seeing any other choice, there's only four of us against the rest of Mount Weather. We're outnumbered, with two guns and a sword. Cage will kill our people, one by one until – "

"Clarke," Octavia interrupted urgently, staring up at the screen showing the dorm. "Clarke… it's your mom."

Clarke's head whipped around in time to see Cage's guards lifting a barely conscious Raven off the table in order to put a struggling Abby Griffin. "No," Clarke whispered, horrified. "Oh god, what have we done?"

Cage looked up at the camera in the dorm as the doctor began to drill into Abby's body in order to extract her bone marrow. They couldn't hear her, of course, but they could see Abby screw her eyes shut and scream in pain, making Clarke flinch. They could see Kane yelling and struggling to get free from his restraints while the rest of their people either yelled and cursed or turned their faces away in terror.

There was a small commotion on the screen and Octavia let out a groan. "Jasper. They've captured Jasper. Fuck!" She swore, slamming her hand down on the table. "He was supposed to get close enough to Cage to kill him."

"It doesn't matter," Bellamy answered, shaking his head. "Even if we did somehow manage to kill Cage, he still has a lot of supporters behind him and they would just step up to fill his place. We would never be safe."

The constant clicking of the keyboard suddenly went quiet. "What are you doing?" Clarke asked desperately, rounding on Monty. "Why have you stopped?"

"Because it's done," Monty informed her confidently. "All you have to do is pull this lever," he instructed them, pointing. "The hatches and vents will open, the scrubbers will reverse and it will pull in outside air."

"Whatever you're going to do, do it quickly," Octavia informed them, nodding to the screen that showed the hallway outside their door. "Emerson is about to blow the door open."

Bellamy looked back at their people, who were injured, scared and in imminent danger. He thought about Kat, Fox and all the others that they had lost to the Mountain Men and looked to Clarke, who looked back at him with a lost, hopeless expression. "We have to save them," she whispered brokenly, her trembling hand moving to grasp the lever.

"We have no other choice," Bellamy agreed, feeling a heavy, terrible weight settle on his chest as he tried not to think about all the Mountain Men who had helped them and all the children who were about to die in an extremely painful way. He placed his hand on top of Clarke's and nodded to her. "Together."

Taking a deep breath, they slowly pulled the lever back until it clicked into place and looked up at the screens. Nothing happened for a long, tense moment, but then the computers started beep and they heard the radiation alarms going off in the hallways. They watched, paralyzed, as one by one, the Mountain Men began to cough and scream in fear, blisters and burns appearing on the skin as they struggled to breathe. People in the dorms began to fall to their knees, while the people in the mess hall clawed at their chests before collapsing face first into their plates of food.

Then, less than a minute later, it was over. Dead bodies littered the floor and there was absolute silence in the command center. Shock, disbelief, disgust… all of it flooded through Bellamy, making him sick to his stomach. He swallowed violently, desperately trying not to be sick all over the floor.

"Let's go get our people," Clarke murmured. She turned to the door and Bellamy and Octavia followed, all of them looking as shell-shocked as he felt. They had won the war against the Mountain Men, they had saved their people… and yet it also felt like they had lost so much.

"I don't believe it!" Monty exclaimed, slowly beginning to stand, his eyes wide. "It's – it's Kat! She's alive, I don't freaking believe it – "

"What?" Bellamy gasped hoarsely, running back over to the monitors, his eyes frantically searching. "Where?"

Monty pointed wordlessly and there she was, striding down the hallway. An absurd amount of blood covered her shirt, but other than that she looked very much alive. "Do you think she's like a zombie or something? Cause I saw her dead body with my own eyes – well not my eyes, technically, the camera lens but still! Hey, why do you think she's got her sword – " He swiveled around in his chair to look at the others only to see an empty room, the door banging off the wall behind it. "Right," he muttered, glancing back at the screens. He watched Jasper, who was somehow no longer handcuffed to the wall, hurry over to a nearby guard, get keys and unlock Kane. He shoved the keys at Kane and sprinted off, heading to the mess hall where Maya was. Monty watched his friend fall to his knees and he knew in that moment that his friend needed him.

Bellamy heard rather than saw both Clarke and Octavia running after him. Emerson had luckily fled when he heard the alarms so there were no obstacles in their way. "It looked like she was heading for the dorms!" Clarke called from behind him, unable to keep up with his longer strides. "We can meet her there!"

Bellamy made an abrupt left turn at her words, taking a shortcut that he knew would lead them to the dorms quicker. They all skidded to a halt when they got there, taking in the scene before them. Kane was helping Abby sit up while Miller's dad and another guard were going around the room releasing the others from their handcuffs. Kids were crying as they hugged and tried to console each other.

"Clarke!" Abby cried, holding her arms out to her daughter, tears trickling down her face.

"Mom," Clarke whispered, running over to her mother and carefully hugging her, her eyes closing gratefully.

Kane, meanwhile, put one hand on Bellamy's shoulder, a proud look in his eye. "You did good," he congratulated, nodding at him as if Bellamy didn't just kill dozens of innocent people. "I'm really – "

"Have you seen Kat?" He interrupted, not really caring about what anyone had to say at the moment.

Kane frowned and shook his head. "No, she hasn't been here – "

"Did you say Kat?" Raven asked, faced etched in pain as some guy Bellamy recognized but didn't know by name carried her over. "We haven't seen her since the Dam. They took her somewhere else."

"Oh god," Octavia muttered, looking someplace over Bellamy's shoulder. "There she is."

Eyes widening, Bellamy turned and she really was there, walking in their direction. His heart leapt in his chest and a smile began to cross his face. "Kat," he breathed, starting towards her, the only thought in his mind was how good it would feel to have her in his arms again. Octavia's arm shot out to clamp on his arm, yanking him back. He looked back at her, glaring, furious that she was holding her back. "Octavia = "

She wasn't looking at him, her blue-green eyes were wide and her face was uncharacteristically pale. "Look at her, Bellamy," she whispered under her breath, her fingernails digging through his shirt and into his arm. "Something's not right. There's... is that blood on her sword?"

Bellamy felt Clarke come to his other side as they all turned to look at Kat approaching. Kat looked at him then, and Bellamy knew that Octavia was right. Kat's gray eyes, eyes that had looked at him with contempt, annoyance, warmth, lust, and love stared straight through him. There was no flicker of recognition, no sign on her face at all that she knew who he was. "Look at her eyes," Clarke murmured, sharing a look with Abby. "They're bloodshot just like Lincolns were when… when he – "

"That fucking bastard," Octavia swore, hatred leaking through her voice. "He turned her. He turned her into a goddamn reaper."

Bellamy made a strangled sound deep in his throat, feeling as if he had just been stabbed in the heart and punched in the stomach at the same time. He removed Octavia's hand, taking a few slow steps forward with his empty arms held out to the sides. His eyes were glued to Kat's as she stopped in front of him, so he didn't notice the rest of their people forming a ring around them. He didn't see Miller's dad or the other guard draw their guns and step protectively in front of the crowd. He didn't see Kane give them a look and hold up a hand. All he saw was Kat.

"Kat," he said to her, raising his voice slightly so she could hear him. "Kat, it's me, Bellamy. Look at me, Kitten," he pleaded, eyebrows rising and eyes widening. "It's me. Do you – "

He staggered back in surprise as her face abruptly changed, a snarl on her lips as she suddenly attacked, swinging her sword and aiming for his neck. Bellamy ducked and backed away quickly, but she pursued him, relentless. "Stay back!" Bellamy roared, spit flying from his mouth as he saw the guards start forward. "Do not hurt her, I said stay the fuck back!" He successfully sidestepped her next slash but missed the kick flying towards his chest and he went crashing back into the wall.

Kat was a skilled fighter, but damn she was _fast_. And stronger than usual, too. Bellamy staggered into a standing position, grimacing at the pain in his chest. Reaper Kat looked furious when she saw him rise to his feet and she shouted at the top of her voice, raising her sword and charging him once more.

Then suddenly Octavia was there, blocking her attack with her own sword, the sound echoing through the room. It was an uneven fight, hardly even fair. Reaper Kat was aiming to kill and Octavia was on the defensive, reluctant to even hurt her. They slashed, parried, blocked and if it weren't a life or death situation, Bellamy would have been extremely impressed.

At one point in the fight Kat had her back to Bellamy and he crept forward, conscious of the flashing blades as he tried to figure out the best way to disarm her. Unfortunately, she must have sensed him coming because she suddenly whipped her sword arm around. He tried to jump back but was too slow. The blade easily cut through the uniform he was wearing and he felt the sharp burning pain as it sliced through his skin.

"Bellamy!" Octavia cried in alarm and Kat turned back around to her, sending her flying into the crowd. Warm blood trickled down Bellamy's chest in streams and he staggered backwards, collapsing backwards. Clarke was suddenly there, catching him as he fell, her eyes wide and frightened.

Sergeant Martin stepped forward, his gun raised and his eyes narrowed in concentration. "No!" Bellamy bellowed, ignoring the pain as the gun went off. Bellamy saw Kat's body violently twist to the side as she was hit but she didn't falter as she ran right towards the guard. She rolled to avoid the bullet and came up into a crouch, swinging her sword and cutting across both his legs. Sergeant Martin crumpled to the floor with a shout of pain and Kat used the opportunity to lift her sword up and plunge it down into his heart.

Miller stepped forward this time throwing a punch towards her face but Kat ducked. "No, Miller!" His dad yelled, grabbing his arm and pulling him backwards. He was lucky he did, because it threw off Kat's aim and instead of thrusting her sword into his chest, it went through his shoulder instead. Miller roared and was pulled back so violently that Kat's sword was ripped from her hands. Sergeant Miller, Kane and the guy who had been carrying Raven all converged on her.

"No! Stop! Don't hurt her!" Bellamy gasped, struggling to shout, his wild brown gaze finding Clarke's. "Don't let them hurt her. Please," he pleaded desperately, begging. He saw flying fists and elbows, heard grunts of pain and Kat's screams of fury.

And then, over all of it, came the loud, piercing sound of the tone generator. Bellamy's eyes flickered towards the sounds to see Octavia standing off to the side, chest heaving and blood trickling down her face as she held up the tone generator in one hand and her sword in the other. She was standing next to one of the dead Mount Weather guards and must have swiped it from him. His eyes darted back to the commotion to see Kat hunched over on her knees, her face screwed up in pain and her hands clapped over her ears as she rocked back and forth.

Bellamy struggled to go to her, grimacing both at his pain and the sight of Kat's, his heart shattering into a million pieces. "Stop," he commanded hoarsely, his voice weak. "You're hurting her!"

Clarke, with a determined look on her face, left Bellamy's side with her gun in hand. She raised the butt of her gun and smashed it into Kat's temple, immediately knocking her unconscious. Octavia turned off the tone generator and the sudden silence was deafening. Blood was smeared across the floor, pooling around Sergeant Martin's body and dripping from multiple injuries.

Octavia rushed over to him, her hands fluttering above his chest, the fear bright in her eyes. "I'm okay, O," he reassured her quickly, smiling through the pain. "It's just a cut." She nodded slowly, her entire body slumping with relief.

Clarke lowered the gun and let it fall from her fingers, her face an unreadable mask. "Kane, please help my mother down from the table," Clarke ordered, taking control of the situation when everyone else seemed to be in a state of shock. "Sergeant Miller, Wick, strap Kat down on the table. Cage only had her for a few hours, there can't be that much of the red drug in her system. The rest of you," she looked around at the frightened and cowering kids as the adults followed her instructions. "Help the injured down to the medical rooms. Dr. Griffin is going to need your assistance so listen to her instructions. And Bellamy – "

"Don't even think about sending me away, Clarke," he growled, his jaw set stubbornly and his eyes alight.

Clarke's face softened slightly. "I wasn't going to. Your wound is shallow, but you still need to have that looked at."

Octavia gracefully stood. "I'll help the others get to the medical rooms and grabs some supplies," she told Clarke, moving to Raven's other side and putting her arm around her shoulder. The man named Wick went to her other side, Kane lifted Abby into his arms and Sergeant Miller began to help his son out of the room.

"Sergeant Miller," Clarke called, her expression grave. "I'm going to need your electric baton."

Bellamy felt like he was ready to crawl out of his skin. He wanted to pace up and down the room, but Clarke and Octavia had just finished stitching and bandaging his chest and he was confined to either sitting or standing still. Clarke had also taken care of the flesh wound in Kat's shoulder while she was unconscious, and Octavia was a little banged and bruised but otherwise she was uninjured.

Most of their group had left to head back towards Camp Jaha, bringing the injured with them. Abby had done her best to instruct the others on how to patch up the wounds, but she was injured herself and they all needed real doctors. All that remained behind was Clarke, Lincoln, Octavia, Monty, Harper, and himself. Miller had wanted to stay but his shoulder needed tending to. Harper had insisted on staying even after everything she had been through, but Jasper had left as well, without so much as a glance or a word to anybody.

"It's been _hours_, Clarke," Bellamy growled, reaching a hand up to run it through his hair in frustration and wincing in pain. Kat started to scream again at the sound of his voice and Bellamy had to raise his own in order to be heard. "She's rubbing her wrists raw from trying to escape and she's still trying _eat me_ whenever I get too close."

Lincoln, who had arrived an hour or so ago, put a hand on Bellamy's back and guided him towards the opposite end of the room, gesturing for the others to follow so they could hear each other speak. "Whatever Cage injected Kat with," he said, glancing back at the struggling girl and shaking his head. "It's different, somehow. Cage had me down in that basement for days before I was fully turned, and you said he only had her for a few hours. There are other signs too. The light doesn't seem to affect her at all while it made my eyes burn and it sounds like she was stronger."

"Part of me hates you for killing that fucker," Bellamy raged, his muscles tense. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's dead but I wish I had been the one to - "

He abruptly stopped speaking as Kat's screams were cut off by an odd, choking sound. Their heads snapped around to see Kat convulsing within the straps of the table, her eyes rolling back into her head. "Not again," Bellamy muttered in an anguished voice, rushing over to his position by Kat's head, smoothing her hair back from her face. This was the fourth time that Kat had seized in the past hour and there was nothing anyone could do but wait it out. Last time Kat's heart had stopped and Clarke had had to do chest compressions in order to bring her back.

Monty and Harper all hovered in the doorway of the dorms, watching with worried eyes. White foam began to leak out of Kat's mouth and they all watched, hardly daring to breathe. Bellamy counted to fifty-seven before her seizures subsided and her head lolled to the side, limp. Clarke stepped forward, pressing two fingers against Kat's pulse, eyebrows narrowed in concentration. "Damn it," she spat, lacing her two hands together and placing them on Kat's chest to begin compressions.

Bellamy's heart was pounding so hard in his chest that it actually hurt. "C'mon, Kat," he heard Octavia mutter beside him, Lincoln's hand clasped within hers.

"Come back to me, Kitten," Bellamy whispered, leaning over her to whisper in her ear. "You promised that you would always come back to me." A tear dripped from his face to hers, panic shining from his eyes. "You can't leave me, Kat! Don't leave me, please."

"Baton," Clarke ordered, an intense look on her face as she held her hand out. Octavia passed it to her and Clarke positioned it above Kat's chest. "Everybody take a step back." She pressed the button to turn the baton on and brought it down. Kat's body jerked as volts of electricity passed through it. When Clarke lifted the baton and Kat still wasn't breathing, she brought it down again. Three more times she did it, before she pressed two fingers to Kat's pulse.

Clarke watery blue eyes slowly raised to lock with Bellamy's defeat and hopelessness written all over her face and Bellamy grew angry. "Get out of my way," he snarled, wrenching the baton out of Clarke's hands and pushing her to the side. "Wake the fuck up, Kat!" He yelled, bringing it down causing her body to jerk violently. His eyes were crazed and the others were watching him with worried eyes. He could hear them muttering amongst themselves but he ignored them, zapping Kat over and over again.

"Bell," Octavia murmured, reaching a trembling hand out to get his attention. Tears were streaming down her face once more. "Bellamy, she's… Kat's gone – "

"No!" He snapped, shrugging her off and ripping a few of his stitches in the process. "No, I refuse to believe that! She is not allowed to die, I cannot lose her again. Wake up, Kat, please wake up – " He zapped her one last time and relief crashed over him when she gasped, her back arching and her gray eyes flying open. Bellamy threw the baton to the ground, placing his hands on either side of her face as her eyes flew around the room. "Kat?" He whispered, heart in his throat, hardly daring to believe it was true.

Her eyes landed on his and he let out a shaky laugh of relief when he saw the recognition in them. "Bellamy?" She breathed hoarsely.

"Oh, thank god," Bellamy sighed, resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. "Don't you ever do that to me again, do you hear me?"

* * *

**Kat's POV**

She tried to lift a hand to touch his face and frowned when she realized that it was restrained. "What the – Bellamy what's – " She stopped, eyes widening in horror as the memories crashed into her, leaving her breathless. "Oh no," she whimpered, quickly shaking her head from side to side. Her eyes stared up at his imploringly, tears quickly filling them. "Please tell me that I – that I didn't – shit," she swore in a high voice, looking terrified and distressed. "I almost killed you!" She gasped, flinching away from him. "I…I killed…" Her eyes darted around the room, ignoring all the faces staring down at her and gazing down at the large puddle of blood on the floor.

"Look at me, Kat, look at me!" Bellamy commanded her fiercely, brown eyes positively burning. "This was not your fault, do you hear me? Cage did this to you! You weren't in control, you didn't know what you were doing."

Kat couldn't stand the strength of his gaze and looked away, conscious of all the other eyes on her. She felt like they were silently judging her, blaming her for the lives that she had taken and the people that she had hurt. "How are you feeling?" Clarke asked, stepping forward and she sounded so much like her mother.

Kat's entire body ached. Her muscles felt tight like they were cramping, her head was pounding, the shoulder where the bullet grazed her was on fire and every time she spoke or swallowed it felt like someone shoved a torch down her throat. The worst part, though, was the ache in her chest and the guilt that was eating away at her insides. "I'm fine," she lied, just wishing they would all stop looking at her as if she were about to go crazy.

"Good," Clarke smiled, relieved as she began to undo the restraints around her wrists and ankles.

Kat winced as the restraints around her wrists were undone and the cool air hit her bleeding burns. She swung her legs over the side of the table and carefully slid down, making sure her legs would support her. "Oh!" Kat gasped as Clarke pulled her into a tight, slightly uncomfortable hug.

"We thought we lost you," Clarke murmured into her shoulder, her voice cracking. "I'm so glad that you're okay."

Octavia stepped forward and Kat was shocked to see her grounder make-up was smeared and her blue-green eyes were watery. She had obviously been crying but before Kat could comment on it, she was on the receiving end of one of the Blake's famous hugs. "Don't you ever do that again, Hale," Octavia ordered, her voice slightly muffled. "That was some seriously scary shit."

"Believe me, I don't plan on that happening ever again," she promised, attempting to disguise the small shudder that went down her back as a breathless laugh. "It's good to see you too, Octavia."

Octavia stepped back and Kat looked up, looking eyes with Lincoln. His face was serious as he tried to read her for a long moment. In the end he just nodded at her and Kat realized that he was the only other person on this planet that understood what she was going through right now. So he knew that she was lying when she said she was fine and he probably knew the battle that was raging on inside her.

Monty approached next, his arm around Harper who looked almost as bad as Kat. "I'm glad you're not dead," he smiled, hugging her gently. He glanced at the blood on Kat's shirt as Harper gave her a quick hug, surprising Kat once more - her and Harper hadn't had much interaction before this. "We saw you lying in a room, surrounded by blood and we thought…"

Kat looked down, pulling the still slightly damp bloody shirt away from her body. "This isn't mine," she explained, knowing that she had no injuries on her chest or stomach. "I don't know whose this is or what happened."

"Well, we're glad it's not yours," Harper spoke up, smiling as she stepped back to Monty's side.

Kat's eyes flickered to Bellamy's next, the only other person who hadn't spoken or hugged her yet and she found him watching her, drinking her in as if she were going to disappear. The air between them seemed to crackle with electricity and Kat knew the others could feel it when Octavia cleared her throat. "Alright!" She called loudly, ushering the others out of the room. "Let's give these two a moment, I'm pretty sure we don't want to be here to witness this."

Kat sensed the others leaving but her eyes were still on Bellamy's as he slowly approached her. He stopped just inches from her, his head titled to the side as he raised a knuckle and slowly ran it down her cheek. "Are you really okay?" He asked quietly, his brown eyes searching hers.

Kat knew she couldn't lie to him. "No," she whispered shakily, her head moving from side to side. "I don't know if I'll ever be okay, or if I'll ever be able to accept the things that I've done. I don't know how to move on from this. But…" She trailed off, looking up at him with wide eyes. "But I do know that I have missed you. No more secret undercover missions, agreed?"

Bellamy's eyes seemed to shine a little brighter at her words and the corner of his mouth lifted up into her favorite half smirk. "Agreed." His chuckled died down, and the expression on his face become serious, a haunted look in his eyes. "I thought I lost you today… twice. I can't – " he broke off as his voice became strained and looked away.

"Hey," Kat murmured softly, putting her hands on either side of his neck, ignoring the pain in her shoulder and standing on her tiptoes to get his attention. "You didn't lose me, I'm right here," she reassured him, adding a silent 'whether I deserve to be or not' in her head. "I'm right here."

Bellamy made a noise that sounded like a mixture between a sigh of relief and a groan as he finally gave in, his strong arms snaking around her waist as he pulled her to him tightly. Kat wrapped her arms around him as he buried his face in her neck, his body shuddering. She knew she was probably hurting him since she was pressed against the injury that she caused, but neither of them seemed to care in that moment. Her eyes fluttered shut wondering what she had done to be so lucky to fall in love with a man like Bellamy.

"I love you, Kitten," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck before pulling back slightly and capturing her lips with his. Kat could have cried with relief as the realization that they were both together again began to truly sink in. All the fear, anger, frustration, relief and heartache was shared between them in that kiss and Kat wished that it never had to end. Both of them eventually had to breathe, however, and stood there for another long moment, foreheads pressed together and eyes closed.

Smiling slightly, Kat took his hand and laced their fingers together before leading him back out into the hallway where most of her friends were gathered, waiting for them. It was still odd for her to acknowledge that she had friends who cared about her for the first time in eighteen years. She looked at each of their smiling faces, feeling their love and friendship and for the moment, that overrode the guilt and fear inside of her. "Let's get out of the hellhole," she announced, smiling up at Bellamy. "Let's go home."

Bellamy filled Kat in on what went down at Mount Weather while she had been captured and turned into a reaper. He told her about what he and Clarke had to do in order to save their people and Kat could tell that he was dealing with his own guilt and his own demons. While she was sorry to hear that so many innocent people had to die, she knew this whole thing never would have ended. The Mountain Men would have always wanted to leave Mount Weather and her people were their escape.

Lexa, that sorry excuse for a Commander, was officially on Kat's shit list. She hadn't liked her much to begin with but seeing the pain and betrayal on Clarke's face when she shared what happened with her turned Kat's feelings to severe dislike bordering on hate. In Kat's book, if you hurt someone she cared about, then you were done.

As for Arian… Kat nodded and accepted his decision when Clarke told her, but on the inside it felt like she had been stabbed in the back. He had put all their people in danger when he left with his sister and while she knew that he was just doing as he was told, he made his choice and Kat didn't know if she could ever forgive that. She mourned the loss of the guy that she had considered a friend.

Lincoln had made his choice as well. He had chosen Octavia over his own people and they had basically disowned him, telling him not to come back. He had pulled Kat aside at one point during their journey back to Mount Weather. "I know you must be confused with everything that you're feeling right now," he had said in that strong, yet quiet voice of his. "But I know exactly what you're going through. I'm not saying I have the answers on how to deal with it, but if you ever need someone to talk to, someone who understands… I'm here, when you're ready."

She thanked him, incredibly touched by his offer though she wasn't ready to talk just yet, not when she wasn't sure what she was feeling in the first place.

Clarke though… she was disturbingly quiet on the way back and Kat couldn't help but glance at her unreadable face continually throughout the walk. It wasn't until they reached Camp Jaha, which Kat had never been so happy to see in her life, that she began to understand what was going on.

She watched as Clarke hugged the others before they went inside, but she hung back herself. She didn't know if Bellamy couldn't sense Clarke's mood or if he was just trying to deny it, but when they walked up to her, he attempted to joke with her. "I say we all deserve a drink."

Clarke's lips lifted into the ghost of a smile. "Have one for me," she murmured.

"Whatever you're thinking of doing, Clarke, stop fucking thinking it," Kat snapped, not sure if she could handle this on top of everything else.

Clarke didn't flinch at her words. "I'm not going inside," she told them apologetically.

Realization began to dawn on Bellamy. "Hey, if you need forgiveness, I'll give that to you," he told her urgently, dropping his voice. "You're forgiven. Please come inside, Clarke."

She shook her head, her blue eyes full of too many emotions for Kat to name. "Every time I look at them, every time I see their faces, I'm going to be reminded of what I've done… of what I had to in order to get them here. And I don't know how to live with that."

"What _we_ did," Bellamy reminded her, his eyebrows meeting in the middle. "We made that choice together, Clarke, we're in this together! You don't have to do this alone – "

Clarke turned to face him, her eyes pleading for him to understand. "I bear it, so they don't have to."

Kat looked between Clarke and Bellamy in confusion, not comprehending the flash of understanding in Bellamy's eyes. "What does that even mean?" Kat exploded in frustration, feeling like she was missing something important. "Never mind, it doesn't even matter. You can't just leave, Clarke, you can't run away from your problems and expect them to go away – "

"I'm sorry, Kat," Clarke apologized, glancing at her. "You're not going to change my mind about this. I can't go inside, not yet, anyway."

"Where will you go?" Bellamy asked quietly.

Clarke shrugged. "I'm not sure. Take care of them for me," she told him, pressing a kiss to his cheek before giving him a quick hug. "Take care of each other." She turned to face Kat and gave her a watery smile. "I know you're going to be mad at me for a long while, Kat, but I hope one day you'll be able to understand." Kat was fuming inside, but allowed Clarke to pull her into a hug. "May we meet again," she said, looking between them one last time before turning and walking away.

Bellamy and Kat watched her go. "She'll be back," Bellamy said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself.

"Maybe," Kat answered, watching as her blonde hair disappeared into the forest. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face Camp Jaha, lacing her fingers through Bellamy's once more. The guilt and responsibility for what she had done pressed down on her shoulders until the point where she felt like the ground was trying to swallow her whole. She kept attempting to push it to the side for the moment and focus on Bellamy and the other people that she cared about in fear that otherwise she would go mad. "Come on, our friends are waiting for us."

And so they walked inside together. While Clarke's leaving had slightly dampened the effect of their homecoming, neither one of them could deny how good it felt to be home and free for the first time in a long time.

* * *

**Author's Note: Raise your hand if you're as emotionally wrung out as I am! Seriously though, I was crying while re-reading Bellamy's reaction to Kat's "death" and their reunion. Those two have just been through so much! While writing this chapter, I realized how much guilt and baggage all of our favorite characters are going to be facing over the next few months. Did anybody think they picked up on some clues that I'm going to carry over to season 3?**

**It might take me a while to re-watch season three and begin to plan, so just be aware of that – I promise I'm not abandoning this story! If I ever was going to stop writing it, I would be sure to let you guys know. I'm just a very slow writer lol.**

**On a completely unrelated note, I've started a new story! It's a Draco/OC Harry Potter story called Fractured Darkness, with a main character completely unlike any other character I've ever written. So if you're a HP fan, then please go check it out, I would love to get your opinion on it!**

**And, as always, please leave a review. Your continued support is what keeps me writing :)**

Rae - Thanks for reviewing! I know, I felt so bad for Kat too, that poor girl just can't catch a break! Hope this one made you feel a bit better!

Guest 1 - Glad you enjoyed the chapter, thank you so much for taking the time to review. I hope you enjoyed the reunion between Kat and Bellamy. It's certainly not that they envisioned and it was slightly stained with everything that they had just been through, but they're together again and that's what matters!

Guest 2 - I know, poor Kat needs all the hugs right now. She doesn't do well with emotions to begin with and now with everything else that happened... it's going to be a rough recovery for her!

Guest 3 - Thanks for your review, I'm glad you liked the chapter. Hope you enjoyed this update!

Guest 4 - You have great timing! You just reviewed and now there's finally an update, I hope you liked this one as well!


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